Archaic World: Blue Phoenix, #7

By Tinalynge

Having become the new Judge of Hell, Hui Yue travels back to the Celestial Sword Sect where he is to start a new life as an immortal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215183861

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Holy Mountains

It was early morning as the first rays of the sun had just broken through the horizon, and the mist that had pooled in the valleys was evaporating leaving an otherworldly atmosphere to the tranquil world.

A mountain range rose in the distance, and this mountain range was the destination for a small group of travelers.

The group consisted of four elders, three youngsters, and a guard. This group was clearly Hui Yue, the elders of the Celestial Sword Sect, Pei Ze, Pei Feng, and Wei.

They had been traveling for a full four months to reach the Celestial Sword Sect's world, and now they had finally arrived. The mountain range in the distance was the Celestial Sword Sect's main branch.

The trip had been rather pleasant. No one had the guts to attack them, but considering all things attacking a group with five Immortals of Creation was rather suicidal. Not many bandit groups would have the people needed to attack such a powerful group of cultivators.

Back in Youdu, Hui Yue had been given a few days to sort everything out before he was told to join the Celestial Sword Sect's elders in returning to the sect. He was to stay with them until he managed to reach the Immortal of Creation rank.

He had visited the Divine Beast World in the Universe Box and had talked with his friends. All of them, including Huli, decided to stay within the Divine Beast World while Hui Yue was in the Celestial Sword Sect.

They were not allowed to enter the main sect and thus they could not be with Hui Yue even if they left the Divine Beast World. Since this was the case they would rather be at their own homes and just be summoned should the need arise.

Huli decided to stay back to control the Formation of Life and ensure that everyone would be able to become Gods while Hui Yue was becoming an Immortal of Creation.

Hui Yue had promised to visit them regularly, but as things were, it was the best decision to stay within the Universe Box. Not even Wei had been given permission to enter the main sect. He had to stay with one of the vassal sects, similarly to the one the Fu brothers belonged to, but once a month he was able to meet up with Hui Yue to check up on him. He was an important person from Diyu after all, and he was the one who would have to report any news to Yanluo.

We will arrive soon, Pei Ziqi informed everyone. Her mood was somewhat foul after having been separated from King Qinguang, and everyone did their best to heed her commands. Recently, whenever she spoke, everyone did their best to show respect and listen intently.

When we arrive a feast will begin. The elders in the sect have already prepared everything and every member of the inner sect will participate.

This feast is to celebrate Pei Yue became the new Judge of Hell, and it will be very similar to the banquet you participated in back in Youdu, the one hosted by Yanluo.

We have not invited the vassal forces for this celebration, only the inner sect is allowed to participate, but there will be a lot of members from the younger generation. They will do their best to challenge one another and show how much they have grown from their training.

But even so, I am quite certain nobody is stupid enough to challenge you, she looked at Hui Yue and said. After all they know you defeated the number one genius of the younger generation, but if someone does challenge you, feel free to give them a beating.

Although the sparring matches are important, the main reason to gather the sect to participate in this banquet is to have you meet everyone from the inner sect. You are going to live with them, so getting to know them is a good idea. We will use the fact that you became the judge to introduce you.

Your father has been in charge of this banquet. He is probably the happiest for you out of all the members of the Celestial Sword Sect; he is almost bursting with excitement. However, I should warn you.

Although your father is proud of you, there are more than a few elders and members of the sect who are hostile towards you. We cannot very well explain to them how you managed to survive those many years ago, and thus they all think that you are the result of your father breaking the sect rules.

As such there are still people of the opinion that you should be killed, and although they are less active now that you are the Judge of Hell, many are unhappy with you.

Had Yanluo not specifically requested for you to come back with us to the Celestial Sword Sect, then I would have preferred you to stay in Diyu. At least you would not have to deal with too much ridicule there.

Still, although there is a large group of experts who are uncertain about whether or not you truly belong in the Celestial Sword Sect, there are not many who would dare to act on their feelings. You are the only son of an ancestor, and you are also the Judge of the Second Court of Hell.

I will introduce you to the Celestial Sword Sect as soon as we arrive, but for now, all you see within this world is under the protection of the sect.

We don't interfere with the mortals and their wars, however, if immortals suddenly interfere in mortal affairs then not only will we judge the immortal, but also the ones siding with him.

As a member of the inner sect, you can use the vassal forces as you please as long as you do not break any of the sect rules.

You can travel the world as you please without guardians, but if you leave the Celestial Sword World, then you’ll need to have guardians with you and permission from the elders.

The more they spoke, the closer they came to the mountain range. Soon they were greeted by a group of ten experts, all of them Immortals of Creation.

Greetings to the elders, they called out in unison before bowing.

They are a group of the patrolling guards we have around the perimeter of the main sect. Pei Ziqi explained as she nodded to them in a greeting. We have hundreds of such groups patrolling at all times to ensure that we do not suddenly get ambushed by the enemy. To become a guard, you need to be an Immortal of Creation and have comprehended at least three daos. This is the most prestigious position for the vassal sects, and also the one which gives the best rewards.

One can only be a guard for a hundred years at a time, after which one is barred for another hundred years before they can apply again.

Hui Yue could sense that although these were not members of the true Celestial Sword Sect, they were still a force that the elders took pride in. Seeing the proud faces of these guards, he bowed towards them after a bit of hesitation. He felt that he would lose nothing in being polite towards them.

Neither Pei Ze nor Pei Feng seemed to notice them, but their arrogance came from having grown up in this mountain range. They had seen cultivators like them all throughout their lives while Hui Yue had never before met such a strong lineup apart from when he saw the Kings of Hell.

The faces of the many guards were apprehensive as they looked at Hui Yue. They were all rather uncomfortable about the fact that an outsider was capable of becoming an inner sect disciple when they had not even been able to become one, but after seeing his display of respect, their opinion about him rose.

We will not hold you up, the leader of the team said with a slight bow towards the elders before he turned to leave. Hui Yue could not help but follow them with his eyes as they vanished into the distance.

Truly capable of being considered one of the strongest sects, Hui Yue praised in a low voice. Patrolling just this mountain range alone were thousands of Immortals of Creation which had comprehended at least three daos. This alone was a shocking display of power, but as he thought about this, he could not help but wonder if the inner sect had even more experts than the vassal forces.

Pei Ziqi led everyone to the ground, and the rest of the distance was traversed on foot. They no longer flew but walked up a mountain slope towards an opening between two mountains. As they reached this location, Hui Yue saw two people he knew. It was the Fu brothers, and he could not help but smile seeing them. Although he had not spent much time with them, he had a good impression of the two.

The moment they saw Hui Yue and the entourage, they instantly bowed deeply. Elders, they called out respectfully, and the elders all looked at them before nodding in reply.

This is where you split up with the guard that's been following you, Pei Ziqi said. He will follow the Fu brothers to their sect and will be their esteemed guest. He will not in any way be mistreated or forced to participate in sect matters.

Once a month you can visit him, or he will be allowed to come here and request an audience with you, she continued to explain. But even so, he cannot set foot on our holy mountains. I am afraid only those with the bloodline of the Great Roc can set foot in these mountains.

Hearing this, Wei just shrugged his shoulders casually. He had expected as much, and he sent Hui Yue a glance and a smile.

Be careful in this den of dragons. Don't do anything that might get you into problems; I will have a hard time explaining to King Yanluo if you end up dead.

Hui Yue could not help but laugh as he heard the words spoken by the young man, and he shook his head, I will be careful. He promised as he glanced towards the mountains that Pei Ziqi had referred to as the holy mountains. Was there some sort of formation that kept everyone else out, or what was the secret? Hui Yue was quite curious.

I will see you next month, Hui Yue said as a goodbye, and the Fu brothers took Wei and led him away from the holy mountains, towards the southwest.

Let’s continue, Pei Ziqi said as she once more started flying forward. The elders and youngsters followed behind quietly, not uttering a single word. A strange atmosphere descended upon the entire group, a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

Pei Ze and Pei Feng were both excited to be home again. The elders were also rather eager to return to their own families, homes, and regular lives after having spent so much time in Diyu.

At the same time, although all of them were excited. They were also nervous and slightly anxious. They each had their own reasons for their anxiety. Pei Feng was worried about his position being taken away from him by Hui Yue as the possibility of becoming the new Sect Leader was not very great anymore.

Pei Ze was anxious because he had not seen his friends for a long time, but also because he feared how everyone would receive Hui Yue. Although he had not known Hui Yue for as long as many of his other friends, he had known him long enough to know that he was a good person. He truly wished the best for Hui Yue.

The elders shared this kind of thought. What if the majority of the sect was against Hui Yue? Could they really protect him? If not... Then what would happen?

The one who was the calmest of all of them was Hui Yue. He believed that no matter what, he would be okay. Without pressure, he would not be able to increase his strength!

Chapter 2 - Arriving at the Celestial Sword Sect

The first thing that entered Hui Yue's eyes as he looked out over the vast Celestial Sword Sect was how massive the sect truly was.

The mountain range stretched in front of him as far as his eyes could see, and within every valley small villages were present.

Having merged with the memories of the previous Hui Yue, he understood that these valleys were for the families of the Celestial Sword Sect's members, their wives, and children.

Each person was allowed to have up to five wives, but every wife had to be accepted by the Celestial Sword Sect before they could marry. Usually, it was not a problem to get married and be given permission, but even so, the sect was very strict when someone had children outside of approved marriages.

But looking at how many villages there were spread all around this mountain range, Hui Yue understood that the sect was many times larger than even he had expected. Although he already had great expectations, he understood that to be a major sect within the galaxy one’s forces had to be truly exceptional.

They flew at a leisurely pace past all the villages for a few hours before they finally reached the core areas of the mountain range. Here were the highest peaks, and the deepest valleys.

The three highest peaks are for our ancestors and the patriarch. They are the protectors of the sect, and as long as they live, the Celestial Sword Sect will never fall. Pei Ziqi said with reverence in her voice. Although she was of the elder generation, she still revered the patriarch and the ancestors with a fanaticism that had grown from seeing them fight in person.

The next highest peaks are for the dao protectors. Anyone who retires from their position as an elder will become a dao protector of the sect. They are the next strongest force within our sect and can only be employed on the patriarch's direct order. Not even us elders or the sect master has such powers.

Currently we have a patriarch, two elders, and one hundred and seventy-six dao protectors. Pei Ziqi introduced the details of the sect to them. Recently, I have have been seriously considering if I should retire as well and become a dao protector, or if I should just stay as an elder. As a dao protector you have much more freedom, but at the same time, you give up all your rights to have your opinion heard when it comes to matters of the sect. I still feel like I have too many opinions to give up. Pei Ziqi sighed as she once more thought about the decision of whether or not to retire that had been weighing on her mind recently.

Well, I am proud to be one of the elders that discovered such an unrefined gem. When you become an Immortal of Creation, you will be able to be promoted to an elder as well. Your strength is already astonishing, and you have so many secret techniques and strength that it would be weird not to make you an elder.

Hui Yue felt rather embarrassed hearing what she had to say about him, and he could not say anything in return but sheepishly look around. He just acted like he had not heard Pei Ziqi’s praise.

Seeing his reaction, Pei Ziqi wasn’t insulted, instead, she just chuckled slightly. This is the main district of the inner sect, she introduced as they saw the inner sect spread out in front of them.

Majestic buildings rose up everywhere, and fields with dummies and other training equipment were visible in the distance. Experts were flying around everywhere, and the inner sect was bustling with life.

The moment they entered the main district of the inner sect a massive bell-like ringing sounded out. This sound caused all the flying experts to stop in their tracks.

Hui Yue was too far away to see their facial expressions, but if he had been closer, he'd see that the majority of the expressions were filled with annoyance, hostility, and indignation as they hovered in the air.

Suddenly, everyone flew off and headed towards the biggest mountain of them all. Their movements were as if they had been meticulously trained causing Hui Yue to be astonished.

The heavenly mountain is the tallest mountain in the whole Holy Mountain range. We have carved out the inside of the mountain and use it for the Celestial Sword Sect's banquet hall. Usually, this hall is used when we celebrate a new Sect Leader or an elder. It is rather rare for it to be used, but it seems like your father has gone all out and has decided that your welcoming banquet will be held in the hall.

If you were just returning without the position of the Second Judge of Hell, then this would have been impossible, but considering your current standing, and your relationship with Diyu, it is now indeed the most suitable place to introduce you. Although it is the best place for the occasion, I cannot help but feel that it will cause the majority of the other members of the sect to look at you with contempt. You, a new person who had never been to the main sect before, suddenly show up and you even receive such a reception.

Hui Yue had been considering this on his own, but after thinking it through, he also knew that he had no way of convincing his father to do anything less grand than he had already decided. Having thought his entire family dead, but then finding out that a son was still alive, and even so talented as he was, then it was no surprise that he wished to celebrate and show the world just how wonderful this son of his was.

When it came to strength, Hui Yue was aware that he was far from the strongest person around. He was only a Primordial Immortal, but even so, he had comprehended five complete daos. Regarding strength, this was already the same as being an Immortal of Creation.

Unfortunately, there were many different levels of strength for Immortals of Creation. There were strong experts who had only comprehended one dao. These experts included the beast Gods that Hui Yue had found in the red realm and other Gods who mostly focused on Ancestral Worldpower absorption.

Then there were the ones who had comprehended two or three complete daos. These were the most average and numerous Immortals of Creations; they were the average experts. When fighting such cultivators, Hui Yue could not win, but he still had faith in his ability to flee.

After these had come those who had comprehended four to five daos, and they were considered the stronger Immortals of Creation. They were some that Hui Yue should stay away from. Even he would not believe that he could flee from them if he were to encounter such strong Gods.

Finally, there were ones who had comprehended six or more daos. They would be able to kill Hui Yue with but a flick of their wrist. Amongst people at this level were also those who had comprehended a major dao, and these supreme cultivators were the ones Hui Yue feared more than anything.

A major dao was different from the minor ones in every possible way. A major dao was when one had comprehended all the minor daos that related to one another and were capable of merging them together. This dao was so frightening that it could flip mountains, move seas, and even overturn the heavens. Meeting someone who possessed a major dao was incredibly rare and also very dangerous.

In the Celestial Sword Sect, there were many Immortals of Creation, but there were even more Primordial Gods. In total, a full hundred thousand experts resided within the inner sect of the Celestial Sword Sect. Around seventy thousand of them were Primordial Immortals, and the rest were Immortals of Creation.

As a major sect, the Celestial Sword Sect focused on comprehending the dao at the same time as absorbing Ancestral Worldpower, and therefore the ones who had become Immortals of Creation had comprehended at least three or four full daos.

Although Hui Yue had comprehended five daos, he was far from being as strong as others. All his daos came from various major daos, and none of them could be merged. Usually one would focus on the minor daos beneath one major dao, but having lived so many different lives, it was impossible for Hui Yue not to have different daos. His power was weakened greatly from being unable to merge his daos

Although this was the case, Hui Yue had gained many benefits from having his other lives merged with him. Although he comprehended other daos, he also had a much deeper understanding of the daos he knew; he had a whole lifetime of experienced which he could draw upon.

Being deep in thought, Hui Yue had a faint smile on his lips. As long as he did not run into any of the true experts of the Celestial Sword Sect, he would be fine.

Considering he was a member of the younger generation, no one from the older generation would throw away their face to challenge him. Normally it would take a cultivator two hundred years before they could reach the Immortal of Creation rank from Hui Yue’s present strength, and only when he reached such heights would he no longer be part of the younger generation. Hui Yue, though, had complete confidence in himself to accomplish this.

Seeing the faint smile on Hui Yue's face, Pei Ziqi understood what he was thinking, and nodded her head. It made sense that Hui Yue was not too fearful of the other members.

In a major sect like the Celestial Sword Sect, face was incredibly important. To throw away one's face and attack a cultivator of the younger generation was simply impossible, especially someone who had become the Second Judge of Hell.

If they were to lose such a battle, they would have no face left; their life would be over. No one was willing to take this risk. If they won, they would not be rewarded or famed, but if they lost they would lose everything.

At least this was what Hui Yue hoped for. There were always a few people who would not care about anything other than venting their emotions. If they were truly lunatics that felt insulted by Hui Yue's sudden appearance, then it was always possible that they would ignore everything else to humiliate him.

Remember you don't have to accept invitations for sparring matches, Pei Ziqi repeated by his side, clearly able to guess what Hui Yue had been thinking about.

I will be fine, Hui Yue said with a sly smile as he thought about how he could use phoenix descent if it were truly needed.

He also still had his soulforce and daos. Although he did not feel any hostility towards the Nightcrawler Sect's youth, he would not be as polite towards someone who wished to humiliate him. If he had to, then he would request help from the black figure with control over space. Although he did not wish for things to get out of hand, he had a few tricks up his sleeve to convince the black figure to lend him his powers.

Let’s hope I won’t ever have to, Hui Yue mumbled to himself before he turned and looked at the others. They too understood that Hui Yue had held back in the fight against the youth from the Nightcrawler Sect. Pei Ziqi had, after all, experienced the frightening dao of space that he controlled.

Chapter 3 - Welcoming Banquet

The group flew towards the heavenly mountain, and as they reached it, they noticed that everyone was already present, chatting with one another in small groups.

The mountain was tall. It was so tall that when they landed in front of it, Hui Yue was unable to see the mountain peak when he raised his head.

As he looked into the banquet hall, he noticed three men who were being treated with respect by everyone present. Even those who spoke were speaking with low voices and were careful with what they spoke about.

Looking at three men, he recognized one as being the father of his previous life, and after scouring his memories, he also recognized the other two as being his father's brothers. One was the patriarch of the sect, while the other one was the second ancestor.

Since they rarely showed their faces in the sect few had ever seen them, so for them to make an appearance, one could understand just how important Hui Yue was in their eyes.

The ones who had been unhappy with the fact that such a big banquet was being held for an outsider suddenly forgot all their indignation because they got to see their patriarch and the ancestors. For the younger generation, and many of those who had just become adults, this was the first time they had seen the elusive masters of the sect.

Suddenly the many voices stilled and everyone, including the three men who were revered by all, looked at the door where a group of experts appeared.

This group was filled with people everyone recognized. Pei Feng and Pei Ze were famous throughout the sect, even though they were younger generation members. They had long since been approved of by the older generation, and behind them, were a few elders.

However, in the middle of this group was a white-haired young man. He was handsome, and when one looked at him, he gave off an otherworldly feel as if he did not belong to this world. Those who were stronger could feel a faint sense of danger coming from him, and shock flashed through their faces.

Hui Yue wore a casual expression as he entered the banquet hall. He said nothing and did nothing but follow behind the elders in front of him.

He would never have wanted such a big ceremony as the one that his father had prepared for him, and Hui Yue could only sigh. He had already had enough of pleasantries from the banquet in Youdu and the coronation. To go through it once more was not something that he wanted to do.

On the other hand, he also understood that his father was greatly looking forward to this celebration to show everyone that his son was a skilled person. Hui Yue, who had promised the memory when they merged that he would make his father proud, would gladly go through yet another social gathering to make his father proud.

As they entered everyone’s focus was on Hui Yue who stood still, and an awkward silence descended over the banquet hall.

Was Hui Yue supposed to say something? He had nothing to say. He had just arrived and knew no one, what could they expect him to say?

But suddenly the patriarch himself cleared his throat and spoke up, We are here to welcome Pei Yue who has returned from Diyu and has successfully become the new Second Judge of Hell!

Pei Yue is a new member of our Celestial Sword Sect. He is fifty years old, and can be considered a member of the younger generation.

The patriarch paused for a moment while his words sunk in. The new Judge of Hell, the most outstanding member of the younger generation amongst all sects, was merely fifty years of age?! This revelation was utterly terrifying! And added to that was the fact that he had ascended from mortality, yet he was not a new God! He was now obviously a full-fledged Primordial Immortal.

Pei Yue is very talented. However, we cannot forget that he is the result of people breaking the rules and as such he will never be given any high position within the sect. Pei Yue will never be allowed to become the Sect Leader, nor will he ever be able to become an elder of the sect. The same goes for all of his descendants. They will be considered members of the Celestial Sword Sect, but they will never be allowed the reigns to rule the sect.

Many of the members of the sect nodded their heads in approval. Hui Yue had so much talent that it would indeed be a shame for the sect to kill him, and now that he had become the new Judge of Hell, Diyu would never allow them to kill him; however, they had to punish him somehow. Therefore, the easiest way was to just never allow him to have any real influence in the sect.

The one who was the most shocked about all of this was Pei Feng. He had almost come to terms with the fact that the Sect Leader position no longer belonged to him, but all of a sudden meat pies fell from the skies.

If it was between him and Pei Ze, although he did not feel like he would be able to easily defeat Pei Ze, he had a feeling that if he used some schemes it would still be possible. Thus a smile suddenly appeared on his face, but this smile turned to a scowl when he saw that Pei Ze had absolutely no reaction to the news. It was clear he had already known about it way before.

Had I known then I would have spared nothing to make friends with this young man, but now Pei Ze has gained a strong and frightening follower. Still, I have a chance again! Pei Feng mumbled to himself as his eyes regained some of their lost vigor.

While everyone was happy that Hui Yue could not gain a position like elder or Sect Leader, there was still some unhappiness left in their hearts, but now this unhappiness was mixed with a tinge of jealousy from many of the experts.

Everyone, celebrate tonight! Celebrate that our sect has managed to form an alliance with Diyu! We will no longer need to fear the other sects as Diyu will be backing us up! Pei Tian's voice also resounded through the hall, and everyone nodded their heads. That was indeed something to celebrate, but to think that all this was because of Hui Yue was something they needed time to accept.

Hui Yue and the group around him were still standing in the doorway, but they quickly entered the hall and found a small place where they could stand.

The first to excuse himself was Pei Feng who almost instantly bowed to the elders and returned to his own group of friends.

Not long after Pei Ze did the same, leaving Hui Yue alone with the elders. As everyone was staring at him, he felt like he was some kind of spectacle for others.

Many of the females in the groups looked at him before they giggled to one another and chatted about something he could not hear while the men looked at him with disdain or jealousy.

Although he could feel many glances being sent his way, no one stepped forward to introduce themselves to him. Instead, they all just stayed in their own groups chatting with one another.

As time went by the two ancestors and the patriarch were immersed deeply in conversation with one another, and slowly many dao protectors also made an appearance at the celebration. Many of them arrived because they were curious about Hui Yue, the only living son of Pei Tian.

The elders around Hui Yue soon left as well as they headed towards other elders or friends, especially after the dao protectors had arrived. The elders vanished one after another, leaving only Pei Ziqi left who stayed by Hui Yue's side like a guard.

Pei Ziqi was one of the strongest experts in the Celestial Sword Sect. Her strength was not to be looked down upon, and she was a battle maniac. She enjoyed all kinds of fights, and she was also the one who had been in the most fights. She had a hot temper, and she would often flare up and challenge people to a fight over the smallest thing after which she would beat her opponent into a pulp.

What Hui Yue was unaware of was that the reason many of the braver girls did not approach him was because of Pei Ziqi. As long as Ziqi was there, no one was willing to come near them.

Pei Ziqi and Hui Yue did not speak, they just stood there and observed everything that was happening around them for the better of a full hour before Pei Tian and his two brothers finally made their way towards Hui Yue.

The moment they moved, everyone's focus turned to Hui Yue and the three experts. Although they were seemingly still speaking to one another, their eyes were all fixed on Hui Yue. Their words became quieter, and they no longer focused on what they were talking about.

You made your father proud! Pei Tian said with a great smile on his face as he placed a hand on Hui Yue's shoulder. Although Hui Yue had spoken with Pei Tian before, he had never met him in real life, and now that they were close to each other, he could feel a heavy pressure from all three.

He quickly understood that these experts had at least comprehended a full major dao, or maybe even two. They had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and it was only natural that they had become some of the strongest experts because of this. It was quite hard to live this long without getting killed, but now that they were that old it would be near impossible to kill them. They were simply too monstrously strong.

Of course for someone like Yama, he could kill them with but a thought though others would have to use quite a lot of energy to kill them if they even could. Even someone like Yanluo would have to spend quite a bit of energy to kill them, and if all three were together, then it would be impossible for him to kill them.

I am glad I made you proud, Hui Yue said with a smile on his face as he looked at his father. Since he had merged with the celestial wing's memory, he also felt genuine affection towards this powerful old man.

You are the pride of my life. You just returned, but you already brought with you so many astonishing achievements. Your talent is no less than that of Yanluo, and if you are given enough time then you will be able to become the strongest expert in the entire galaxy!

For now though you will have to stay within the Celestial Sword Sect. Although some people might be rude towards you, no one will dare to harm you. Since it is like this, you will be able to train in silence. Pei Tian laughed, and Hui Yue nodded his head.

It was indeed true that Hui Yue was able to train in silence, but he needed some pressure to truly bring out his full potential. Because of this, Hui Yue did not mind if he was viewed with hostility by the other members of the Celestial Sword Sect. Although he was a member of the sect and would never betray it, he also understood that he had no deep ties to the sect yet.

The rest of the night was spent by Hui Yue talking with his father, the patriarch, and the second ancestor. He was mainly asking questions about the sect while the ancestors and patriarchs showed more interest in his trials to become the next Judge of Hell.

Chapter 4 - Alchemist Palace

The welcoming banquet came to a close with no incidents. The younger generation and a few of the older generation challenged one another to duels, yet no one was brazen enough to challenge Hui Yue, even if they wanted to do so.

Hui Yue was introduced to the dao protectors of the sect, and these dao protectors had been told of the patriarch and the ancestor's theory about Hui Yue. Thus their opinion of Hui Yue was very different from the others. They too felt that he was truly a member of their Celestial Sword Sect, yet only the dao protectors, ancestors, and patriarch knew about this theory, and they had all sworn to never speak a word of it. Although it would make things easier for Hui Yue, it would trouble him in many other ways.

The sect had quite a lot of elders, and for such a great celebration like this, the majority were present. Even the Sect Leader was present.

When the patriarch and the ancestors made an appearance, everyone else had to do the same, and although some of the elders were unhappy, they could do nothing.

Even so many were curious about whether or not Hui Yue was a member of the Celestial Sword Sect. If he was only fifty years old, how could he possibly be the son of the first ancestor? This made absolutely no sense. Everyone knew that the first ancestor had been in the sect for at least the last millennia. How could he suddenly have left under the noses of everyone and produced a son?

Also, was the first ancestor such a person? Would he break sect rules knowingly? It made no sense to the elders who knew the first ancestor, and it made all the juniors just as confused, but no one could deny the fatherly pride they saw in Pei Tian's face whenever he looked at Hui Yue. Neither could they deny that he had stepped out and announced that he was this young man’s father.

Only a handful of experts had seen Hui Yue's wings on full display, and it was easy to question if they were as bright and powerful as others said.

Hui Yue could not be bothered with all those people who doubted him. He knew that since he was going to be in the sect for a longer period, it was only natural that he would have to spar against other members. It was only a question of time before he would have to rely on the bloodline of the great roc to pressure the others.

Seeing that the dao protectors had all accepted Hui Yue and seeing them converse with him casually as if he was their equal made many of the younger experts red-eyed with jealousy and filled with indignation. Just because Hui Yue had managed to become a mere Judge of Hell, he was now an important figure. But all of them had a hard time forgetting that he was the result of someone breaking the rules. The only upside they could find was that he was not allowed to be the new Sect Leader or an elder.

As the day came to a close, the banquet also ended. As it ended, Hui Yue was uncertain about where he was supposed to go. He had not been given any time to prepare after entering the sect; he had not even been given a place to stay, everything was just happening right away.

Just follow me, Pei Tian said with a smile on his face, and Hui Yue nodded his head as he followed behind the ancestor.

I used to have a small valley for my family, he explained as he flew into the air outside of the banquet hall, and Hui Yue quickly followed behind. But since I no longer have any family, apart from you, the valley was given to another family. For now, you will reside on my mountain, but I assume you will be living in the same valley as the other third generation descendants. They are your cousins, and they will help to look after you.

Hui Yue nodded his head but was uncertain whether or not these cousins would be friendly towards him. They were used to being the upper echelons of the sect and to suddenly make space for a youngster could cause them to feel ire.

Hui Yue flew side by side with Pei Tian, and although he knew that he was only here because of his previous life, he could not help but have a feeling of returning home after having been away for a long time.

As his eyes roamed across the sect, many things had been changed since the time his previous life had lived here. It had grown immensely; more valleys now spread as far as the eye could see and the inner sect had many more formidable buildings than in the past.

Mountains had been leveled to create training areas; buildings had been built on mountain sides, mountains had been carved out to have libraries and many other things inside of them. In many ways, the sect was as different as night and day from the sect he had lived in so long ago.

Still, the feel of the sect had not changed. People flew back and forth, from building to building. Even though it was in the middle of the night, some people had left the banquet and moved straight to the training grounds. Some headed to outdoor fields where they could practice their fighting, their Ancestral Worldpower Skills, or their dao techniques while others ventured to the homes containing meditation rooms and other training grounds.  

Others went to libraries or the skill palace preparing to study the night away, while others went back to their residence to cultivate and just absorb Ancestral Worldpower.

Everyone here was a God. They were born Gods, and thus they needed nothing like sleep or food to keep living. All they needed was Ancestral Worldpower.

Since this was the case, they were worked throughout the day and did not spend their lives living like mortals. To them, night was as good a time to work and train as daytime.

Coming to this conclusion, Hui Yue reached the peak of the mountain where he saw his father's residence. When looking at it from the outside, it looked exactly like a small cave, yet when entering the cave, he found that a mansion had been carved inside the mountain. In this residence, there were multiple rooms and even a hot spring which produced hot water for the rooms. This allowed the residents to bathe in the hot spring water in their room.

Take whichever room you want, Pei Tian said with a gentle smile on his face. My room is over here, but no one else has lived here for a long time. You can treat this place as your home.

Looking around the home, Hui Yue quickly picked a room not too far away from the one his father lived in. The room was not the biggest, but it was not the smallest either.

The room had a hot spring and a bed alongside a desk and a chair. There were stones hanging on the wall that emitted a gentle glow and illuminated the room. This light covered the room in a gentle and warm atmosphere. There were no windows in the room as no sunlight entered inside of this mountain, but with these light stones, it was just fine.

The first thing Hui Yue did was show his gratitude towards his father, and chat with him for a bit, but his mind kept returning to the hot spring in his room. After a bit, he excused himself as he returned to his new room and finally allowed for himself to sink into the warm water and relax.

He had not been able to relax for a long time. Since he started the trials, he had been together with Wei the whole time. After he had been coronated, he had needed to meet up with one official after another, and right after that, he had to travel for months on end to the Celestial Sword Sect.

He had not been given any time to relax, and as soon as he arrived, a massive banquet had been held for him. The few moments he had alone, he used to enter the Universe Box and visit his friends and family. Now, though, he could relax.

He felt how his tired body was being washed of all its fatigue; how all the tiredness vanished and his eyes became focused and filled with determination.

He was going to stay within the Celestial Sword Sect for quite a long amount of time. He was not allowed to leave before he had become an Immortal of Creation. Although his talent was amazing, and he had not spent long to become a Primordial Immortal, this was completely different and would take him quite a bit of time.

Since he was going to stay in the Celestial Sword Sect, he might as well familiarize himself with the area and the sect. As soon as he finished his bath, he left the sanctuary of the mountaintop and entered the inner sect itself.

Everyone was flying everywhere, and Hui Yue flew from one building to another. He found the libraries which had books filled with everything from the history of the galaxy to books about the heroes who had been born during the many different eras. There were also books about the world where the Celestial Sword Sect resided and books about every other world in the galaxy.

Hui Yue found the Mission Tower and found that there were four types of missions available. Two of the missions were for within the Celestial Sword World, and the other two required one to leave the world of the Celestial Sword Sect.

One of each of these kinds could only be acquired by members of the Mission Tower, while the other two were open for anyone who wished to try their hand at completing missions.

Every mission gave contribution points, and the more contribution points one had, the better. These contribution points could be used to exchange for resources, items, and skills.

Every month every member of the sect would be given a certain amount of pills, but these pills were not enough to increase the training speed of a cultivator.

After visiting the Mission Tower, Hui Yue visited the Alchemist Palace. This was one of the most elaborately decorated buildings in the entire inner sect, and it was also one of the busiest ones. People were flying in and out all the time.

Have you come to have one of our alchemists produce pills for you? In that case, you need to pay Worldpower Stones, a guard said the moment he saw Hui Yue, but Hui Yue shook his head. I would like to enter and see what the Alchemist Palace is like. I might even join them, he said with a chuckle, but the guard just narrowed his eyes as if he had heard a joke.

It is not possible to just join the Alchemist Palace because you wish to do so! he scolded, but just as the words came out of his mouth, he noticed that everyone who was flying had stopped in their tracks and they were looking at Hui Yue with curiosity.

The guard, who was not stupid, started understanding what was going on. His throat became dry, his eyes slightly red. He cleared his throat as he bowed to Hui Yue, please excuse me. I had eyes but did not see Mt. Tai. Please enter the Alchemist Palace and see if there is anything of interest inside. Perhaps you will find what you seek, if not maybe you will be accepted to join them.

Hui Yue could not be bothered arguing with a mere guard, and he nodded his head as he entered the palace with a dignified expression on his face. He was really quite curious about this Alchemist Palace.

Chapter 5 – Tour of the Sect

As soon as Hui Yue entered the palace, he found the massive palace lit from the many light stones that were on the walls.

Even though it was early, the entry hall was bustling with cultivators that were waiting in line for their turn to get into contact with an alchemist.

There was a counter in the hall and behind this counter was a young woman. Young experts would run towards her with jade boxes, jade vials, and various containers holding items and herbs along with a slip of paper which would have a name written on it.

Pei Yin, the woman called out, and a woman called Pei Yin stepped forward and accepted a pill with reverence.

Looking around Hui Yue found that there was also another line of experts waiting to talk with the young man at a counter as well. All of these experts had two bags in their hands, and scanning them with his soulforce, Hui Yue could tell that one contained herbs and materials while the other contained Worldpower Stones.

Focusing on hearing, Hui Yue eavesdropped on what they were talking about at the counter. I have four sets of materials and two thousand Worldpower Stones. I wish to hire an alchemist to concoct the Myriad of Daos pill.

Hui Yue scoured his memories and found the pill recipe in question. It was a fairly simple pill which allowed for a person to come into contact with and feel the daos in the world around them. Usually, it was used when one had just comprehended a full dao, and they wanted to start on their next dao.

This was a pill that Hui Yue had complete confidence he could concoct, but it seemed that they required this person to hand over four full sets of materials alongside Worldpower Stones. It seemed that the alchemists in his sect were beyond rich!

It was clear that these alchemists were in control of quite a lot of power and were looked at with veneration but even so Hui Yue threw away any idea he had of joining them.

They were so busy concocting pills and perfecting their pill formulas that they would be incapable of spending much time comprehending the dao or cultivating.

Because of this, the alchemists were amazing at what they specialized in, and compared to mortals they were far too strong, but compared to the majority of other Gods, they were simply too weak.

Hui Yue was curious about joining the Alchemist Palace with the hope of getting his hands on more formulas, but after thinking it through, he shook his head and turned to leave.

As he left, everyone within the hall, who had pretended not to see him, suddenly turned silent and watched him leave with mixed emotions. Some looked at him with curiosity while others looked at him with hostility.

Hui Yue had noticed this change, but he did not mind it too much. He quickly exited the building before moving towards the next location that would catch his attention.

He found that there was a dining hall within the inner sect, but everyone who wanted to eat had to pay with either contribution points or Worldpower Stones. Since food was not needed to live, it was just a luxury, and so one had to pay for it.

Hui Yue was not eager to eat and quickly passed the dining hall. Then he found a small shop that specialized in herbs; a place where herbs were being traded for Worldpower Stones or contribution points. This was a place Hui Yue had a great interest in. Although he had been given a mountain of herbs by Yanluo, he could not help but feel that he might be in need of extra herbs.

The herb shop was very similar to the Alchemist Palace, yet quite a bit smaller. In the entrance hall, there were multiple books where one could flip through, find the herb they needed, and walk towards one of the five counters to place an order.

Hui Yue found that the entrance hall was smaller than the hall within the Alchemist Palace, but it was just as crowded. He waited in line for his turn to go through one of the books and look at what kind of herbs were available. He was astonished as he saw that every kind of herb was present, albeit some of them had an exorbitant price.

Hui Yue spent some time going through the book, but he did not find any herbs that he could use. He already had all the herbs that he needed for the time being, and he gave the book to the next one in line before turning and leaving. Once more his departure was filled with glances and mixed emotions.

After visiting the herb shop, he stopped at the armory, the weaponsmith, and the treasury. Everywhere he went he would look at the things that were for sale, but nothing caught his eye and made him want to spend Worldpower Stones. Although there were some tempting things, they were not items that he felt an urgent need to own. The prices the sellers wanted in Worldpower Stones were all rather high, but it seemed that if one used contribution points they were more reasonably priced. Unfortunately, Hui Yue still had absolutely no contribution points.

Although he had achieved the unthinkable by becoming the Second Judge of Hell, the patriarch understood quite well that if he gave Hui Yue a lot of contribution points, then the other members of the sect would definitely be insulted by it. In the end, it would do him no good.

Even Hui Yue knew this, and it was why he did not mind much. Although he wished to have contribution points, he did not want to provoke others’ ire that badly. He could always work hard and get his own contribution points later.

Because of this, he did not enter the contribution point hall; the place where everyone with contribution points could go and check how many points they had.

He did, however, go towards the administrative building that dealt with everything that had to do with the sect and its members.

The administrative building was not big, but there were a lot of people entering. Mainly these people were here to announce the birth of new members of the sect, or get information about family members out on missions.

There were also young members of the sect who came to announce that they were now old enough to be considered cultivators or even that they no longer belonged in the younger generation.

Hui Yue went straight for the counter this time, and when the person behind the counter saw him, he was shocked. He was completely stunned at first but then the reason for why Hui Yue was there dawned upon him.

You are here to sign up as a member of the Celestial Sword Sect I assume? he asked timidly, and Hui Yue nodded.

Both looked at one another for a moment not completely sure how they were supposed to go about this, and finally, Hui Yue sighed. He did not fully understand how they did things here, so it was not his place to come up with solutions.

Ugh, this is not going to be easy, the man behind the counter mumbled to himself before he turned to leave. Stay here, he ordered as he started walking away. I will get an elder who will be able to help set up your papers.

Just like that, he dashed away, but while he ran, Hui Yue became the center of attention for everyone within the building. No one tried to mask that they were curious about him and were sizing him up. Seeing this, Hui Yue could do nothing but ignore them.

Hui Yue stayed in place for only a few moments before an elder came rushing towards him with an apologetic smile on his face. The moment Hui Yue saw him, he understood that this elder was one of those who had a favorable opinion of Hui Yue and he was relieved. It would have been annoying if there was an elder trying to make problems for him already.

We will do it like this; first we will pretend that he is a newborn. Fill in the papers as you would when someone comes to announce the birth of a new member of the sect, the elder ordered, and the man who had notified him nodded his head and scrambled to find the papers.

Full name? He requested, and Hui Yue answered straight away, Pei Yue.

Father? He continued, and Hui Yue answered, Pei Tian.

Generation?

Third Generation.

When he wrote third generation down his hand trembled slightly. It was shocking to even see someone of the third generation, and to deal with such a sect member face-to-face was simply unthinkable.

Mother? he asked, and Hui Yue hesitated for some time. Do I need to answer that question? Hui Yue asked tentatively. He was not willing to leave any clues to finding his other parents. If someone disliked Hui Yue, then they would take out their hate on his parents, and this was something he could not accept.

Usually, we need the name of the mother, but in this case, we will make an exception. We will write Unknown instead, he ordered, and the man behind the counter quickly did as he was told.

Then came many questions about the appearance of Hui Yue. His eye color, his hair color, and his skin color.

Okay, then on to the next part, the elder said as he found another stack of papers which they needed to fill in. These were the papers showing that Hui Yue was now a member of the younger generation of cultivators; that he was no longer a child.

The papers asked questions such as which dao did he first gain insights into, and what his talents were and so on.

It took Hui Yue a full three hours to fill out all paperwork, and when he finally left the building, he had his hands on an emblem with his new name and some basic information about him. This emblem would need to be updated from time to time when he became a higher ranked member of the sect.

The contribution points were also stored within this emblem, and if one were to use the points to purchase something, then they needed to display their emblem.

Having sorted the issues at hand, Hui Yue ended up aimlessly wandering about the sect. He looked at one building after another, and he looked at everything from Ancestral Worldpower Skills to the training fields.

Wherever Hui Yue moved, people would stop and stare at him. Many were curious about what kind of person he was, and it was not before now that Hui Yue noticed that the main emotion they felt towards him was curiosity, not