Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Everyone in the Demi-Immortal Institute was shocked.

The transformations which were occurring were spectacular to say the least. Boundless, never-ending vital energy poured into the Minorcosm World, as though heaven itself had been opened, and jade-like fluid were pouring out from it.

As the Minorcosm World expanded above the sea of clouds, numerous dimensions appeared, and previously desolate wormholes opened up. In fact, there were too many wormholes to count, leading in the direction of other planes, and allowing various types of high-level vital energy to pass through them. Nine-Yang Immortal Energy. Great Void True Energy. Clear Heaven True Energy. Numerous types of energy were rushing in.

When the Demi-Immortal Institute first built the Minorcosm World, it was unimaginably large, and had contained a host of wormholes leading to other planes, to harvest vital energy from them. However, over the years of being battered by hell monsoons, most of the space-time wormholes had closed up or rotted into disuse.

Back when the institute had been at its peak, the Minorcosm World hadn’t just contained Nine Yang Immortal Energy. It had contained fully three hundred different types of universal and planar powers.

Now, the hell monsoons had been vanquished, and the Planar Pearl was active. The wills of the Great Sages had been lifted up from despair, and in the process of their being illuminated by radiance and light, the greyspace of the Rich-Lush Continent was repaired. At the same time, many of the wormholes in the Demi-Immortal Institute were restored.

Almost instantly, the institute was bathed in the same glory it had been in the past. Back then, it had possessed the power to rise to heaven itself, and fully cultivate the potential of all its disciples.

“Something big is happening in the institute’s Minorcosm World!”

The leaders of the big societies all flew out into the open to see what was happening. Master Wind Gentleman. Unparalleled Lightning. Divine Ability Li. All of the top experts were shocked, and these were holy neophytes and grand elders.

“Someone is resealing the greyspace?” Master Wind Gentleman said, his eyes somewhat blank. “The wills of the ancient sages in the Planar Pearl have woken up? Who did it? Who saved the ancient holy spirits? Not even the chancellors could do that. Don’t tell me someone higher than the Great Sage level actually took action?”

“A few weeks ago the chancellor sent Yang Qi to repair the heavenly damage. Did he succeed? He must have convinced his Great Sage backer to help out.”

“Incredible. Simply incredible. So his backer finally made a move. And a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering move at that! Hahahahaha! It’s only getting worse for the Crown Prince. Once word of this gets out, everyone in the Crown Prince Society is going to be shaking in their boots!”

“That's exactly right. Yang Qi’s backer actually fixed the heavenly damage, and woke up the ancient spirits of the past. What cultivation base would that take? It must be higher than the Great Sage level. What could the Crown Prince do to rival that?”

Immediately, the buzz of discussion filled the air.

Some students were excited, and realized that the future was much brighter than before. After all, they would all be benefitting from what was happening.

The only ones who weren’t happy were the people from the Crown Prince Society. And those who were particularly close with the Crown Prince felt their hearts pounding, and could hardly breathe.

“Hurry, report this to the Crown Prince!” Patriarch Cloud shouted as he leaped to his feet. Both he and Patriarch Wind were visibly frightened.

“Yang Qi’s backer finally made a move,” Patriarch Wind said. “He accomplished a mission the four institutes couldn’t have accomplished even if they joined forces. It seems highly likely that Yang Qi’s backer… is a Demi-Immortal!”

Both Patriarchs Wind and Cloud seemed to sag listlessly at the realization of what was happening.

Master Jadecrux of the Seven Preheaven Masters was shaking physically. “This can’t be happening! How could it be? How could anyone do this…?”

The Three Pure Yang Elders all stood there with chattering teeth. “What about Yun Hailan? Where did she get off to?”

“Call all members of the Crown Prince Society together for a meeting. This is an absolutely critical juncture, a moment of life or death. If we don't act quickly, we’re all dead!”

Some people in the Demi-Immortal Institute were going completely crazy, and others were outright rejoicing.

Meanwhile, individuals in the other three institutes realized what was happening, as well as in the Sage Ancestor Dynasty.

Somewhere in that dynasty, a powerful will swept through the imperial court, which belonged to none other than the emperor. “What exactly is happening? Did someone actually awaken the wills of the Great Sages in the Planar Pearl? Quick, go check what’s happening in the Demi-Immortal Institute!”

Meanwhile, the Great Sage chancellors in the Sun Moon Institute, Sea God Institute and True Dragon Institute were issuing decrees regarding the Demi-Immortal Institute.

In the Sun Moon Institute, Hua Tianxiong opened his eyes, and the shock therein was visible. “Don’t tell me it was really Yang Qi’s backer? With someone so strong watching out for him, doesn’t that make him the most powerful person in all creation? At the very least, he’s invincible in the Rich-Lush Continent.”

He actually cared a lot for Yang Qi, and had become quite perturbed when he learned that the chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute had sent him on the mission to repair the damage to heaven.

Now, only days later, the vital energy of heaven and earth was stirring in unprecedented fashion, transforming the entire continent. That indicated that, not only had Yang Qi succeeded, he had become a savior and hero.

However, Hua Tianxiong was privy to many of the most ancient secrets. “Right now, the most important thing is to work with Young Master Shroud-Heaven to kill the Crown Prince. Even if Yang Qi does have a backer who surpasses the Great Sage level, that person can’t watch over everything that happens in the Rich-Lush Continent. He’ll be under the restriction of the Yore-Wilds’ Heart fragment.”

Rising to his feet, he vanished.

All of the Rich-Lush Continent was in upheaval.

All of the Great Sages could sense that dramatic transformations were occurring to the vital energy of heaven and earth. Meanwhile, outside of the Rich-Lush Continent, powerful organizations were also able to detect what was happening.

Far in the depths of the void was a powerful, holy mountain, rife with demon energy. It was pieced together from a number of continents and lands, and connected to countless other worlds via a multitude of space-time wormholes.

This was the holy land of the Demonfolk, the Hanging Mountain.

Suddenly, a voice rumbled out from within the mountain. “The Rich-Lush Continent’s Planar Pearl has been activated. A power greater than that of a Great Sage has lifted the ancient noble spirits from their despair….

“Go investigate. Hold nothing back to get information. Also, open the space-time wormhole to the Rich-Lush Continent. We can't afford to keep it closed any longer. The Rich-Lush Continent is the springboard to many locations, and also the home of the Yore-Wilds’ Heart of the past. That continent is the key to reaching higher planes. Without it, the resources needed to reach them is exorbitant. Not even Demi-Immortals can afford it.”

Screams of demon energy immediately began to swirl out from the Hanging Mountain, all of which belonged to powerful heaven-demons.

At the same time, on Yama Mountain in the Heavencorpse Kingdom, Ghost Emperor Yama was still restrained by the Quake-Dawn godsteel, and his eyes shone with terror. “There’s no mistaking it. That's the God Legion Seal. How terrifying! What level of power is it? The Demolishing level? Perhaps the Godmyth level? Or… maybe even the Deathless level. My strength isn’t even worth mentioning when compared to that. I'm like a speck of dust. And yet, how come it seems to me that the God Legion Seal is broken in some way? Shattered by some immense power. It’s only a fragment, not nearly as powerful or terrifying as it could be. If I could get it… then perhaps I could transcend! I could become a devil among devils, the Lord of hell….”

Ghost Emperor Yama trembled with the desire to free himself from his shackles, return to the world, and take the God Legion Seal.

Of course, Yang Qi didn’t realize any of that was happening. He could only sense his power rising as he was blessed by the host of sages in the Planar Pearl. He was being transformed on the most fundamental level, and with terrifying speed. Already, he had reached the level of two hundred thousand ancient megamammoths, and the process hadn’t stopped yet.

As for the amount of energy reserves he had, they were equivalent to one hundred fifty thousand megamammoths, which was indescribably higher than before.

Yang Qi actually didn't know exactly how strong he was; all he knew was that mad power was coursing through every inch of him.

Eventually, the light began to fade.

The transformation was complete. Every hair on Yang Qi’s body had enormous spatial dimensions in them, as did every inch of his flesh and blood. He was such a hive of dimensions that he himself resembled a greyspace of sorts.

His meridians and sea of energy were now many times stronger and larger, and as for his total limit of power, it was that of three hundred thousand megamammoths. However, only two hundred thousand of them were awake. In other words, he had to fully wake up the power of tens of thousands of megamammoths to reach the pinnacle of his potential.

“My god! Are these ancient sages toying with me?! How… how am I supposed to get that much energy? Where would I find that many spirit stones? Furthermore, even if I got that much energy, how am I supposed to pierce through the void with it?”

After all, the stronger one got, the more one would meet resistance from magical laws. Tearing openings into the void was difficult as it was, but doing so with the power of two hundred thousand megamammoths was approaching the power levels of the ninth Legendary transformation.

How could someone in the second transformation overcome obstacles intended for the ninth? Yang Qi’s scalp tingled at the thought of the backlash he would get when he tried to break through.