Chapter 511

Chapter 511: Illegitimate?

Divine Capital of the Immortal Court.

In a divine palace, Third Young Master wore imperial robes and an imperial crown, chatting and laughing heartily with Star Master.

"Star Master, how have you considered it?"

Third Young Master’s expression was calm and composed; facing a Four Tribulations Dao Sovereign, he remained at ease, still exuding an imposing demeanor.

Xu Taishou’s eyelids drooped slightly.

"Thanks to Third Young Master’s deep affection, how dare I not agree?" Star Master laughed heartily; Third Young Master had promised him to help him refine the one hundred and Eight Great Dao Worlds.

At this moment, Star Master’s physical body had already been transported to the Divine Capital with the help of the immortal court.

Ordinary cultivators of the Hongmeng Dao Realm didn’t know, but Star Master was clear that behind Third Young Master stood the Celestial Lord of Fortune, who, even among the seventy-two Celestial Lords of the Hongmeng Dao Realm, was among the top tier.

Xu Taishou also revealed a smile.

"Since that’s the case, you should stay in the immortal court for the time being; whatever you want, as long as I have it, I certainly won’t be stingy," Third Young Master said with a smile.

"In the future, I will still need all of you to assist me greatly."

Third Young Master raised his cup in a toast to Star Master.

"Your Majesty is too polite," Star Master raised his cup and said, "Having received your bounty, I naturally should share your worries."

The two of them drank up in one go.

After leaving the divine palace, Xu Taishou whispered, "Your Majesty, Star Master has committed countless atrocities, practicing cultivation by devouring humans; this person must be dealt with properly, otherwise it will tarnish your honorable reputation."

"I have my own considerations."

Third Young Master pursed his lips slightly.

He had taken in Star Master only to use him as a shadow, handling matters inconvenient for himself; when the time came, he could even personally eliminate Star Master to earn himself a good name.

"Now that the Dao Lord ranking has been announced, it is time for me to go to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Third Young Master sighed.

"Old Xu, you shall go with me."

"This old slave obeys."

Xu Taishou was a Four Tribulations Dao Sovereign, and also Third Young Master’s protector; as the former servant of the Celestial Lord of Fortune, he had been following Third Young Master ever since Third Young Master was taken as a disciple by the Celestial Lord of Fortune.

The two gradually moved farther away.

Inside the palace, Star Master’s eyebrows slowly furrowed.

"That feeling is growing stronger," Star Master murmured.

Since he came to the Divine Capital, he had felt as if he was being watched; as time passed, it didn’t weaken at all, instead becoming increasingly intense.

"Who exactly is spying on me from the shadows?"

……

The morning sun rose over the eastern mountains, crossing myriad peaks and valleys, illuminating Tian Cang Immortal Domain.

A divine ship emblazoned with the emblem of the immortal court rose from the Divine Capital, enveloped in fragrant mist like clouds and smoke; Third Young Master, along with Xu Taishou and Moro, headed together to Canglan Immortal Domain.

Gazing at the Canglan Immortal Domain, even across multiple domains, one could see the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion suspended in the heavens like a moon amidst stars, impossible to overlook.

"Of the seventy-two Heavenly Venerables of the Hongmeng Dao Realm, this old slave has heard of them all. Could the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion be one of them?" Xu Taishou speculated.

"Whether he is or not, we shall know once we see him for ourselves,"

the Third Young Master said with a laugh.

Moro wore a heavy expression. As for Ye Xu, he felt nothing but immense fear. He had painstakingly cultivated to become a Nine Tribulations Dao Lord, yet a single trip to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion had reduced him to an Eight Tribulations Dao Lord.

Several days later, the divine ship flew into the Canglan Immortal Domain, arriving at Canglan City.

"Is that the Dao Lord ranking?"

The Third Young Master looked towards the ranking.

The sound of the Dao was faint, its aura ethereal; it remained inactive.

"Sovereign, that list is indeed the Dao Lord ranking," Moro scanned with his Divine Sense, gathering information about the Dao Lord ranking from the chatter of Canglan City’s cultivators.

"The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion set a rule: it requires gathering one billion two hundred million divine stones. Currently, it’s still short of over ninety million divine stones to activate the ranking."

The Third Young Master took out an embroidered silk pouch and handed it to Moro, saying, "Take a look."

Moro accepted the order and went forward.

He channeled his magic power, and divine stones flew out from the pouch, tens of thousands at a time. After what seemed an immeasurable span, the Dao Lord ranking erupted with dazzling golden light.

"Huh?"

The ranking’s anomaly startled the cultivators in Canglan City.

"Is the ranking finally being activated?"

"It seems so."

"I just checked earlier; it was still short of over ninety million divine stones. Could this be the doing of that person? Did one person alone make up the shortfall of over ninety million?"

All eyes converged on Moro.

"One of the Third Young Master’s men…"

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal was also alerted by the phenomenon. His gaze first fell upon Moro, then shifted, instantly catching sight of the immortal court divine ship floating mid-air.

Upon the ship, the Third Young Master stood dressed in embroidered robes, with Xu Taishou positioned three steps behind him.

"The Third Young Master!"

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal felt a chill run down his spine.

He hadn’t expected the first visitor to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to be none other than the Third Young Master.

Xu Taishou also noticed Xuan Du Ancient Immortal’s gaze. He cast a fleeting glance, deeming him merely an Eight Tribulations Dao Lord, and paid him no further attention.

Woo!

Once the one billion two hundred million divine stones were absorbed, the Dao Lord ranking slowly unfurled.

As the scroll opened, the very first name entered view.

Second Young Master!

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal’s face blossomed with joyous surprise, his heart surging with emotion. "Truly unparalleled! To think the Young Master could surpass the Eldest Young Master and ascend to the very top of the Dao Lord ranking! Number One!"

"Why should I be happy?"

In that moment of reflection, Xuan Du Ancient Immortal again pulled a long face, saying, "The Second Young Master was pushed to first place; that meant he was standing in the eye of the storm and would surely be targeted by others."

"Fortunately, the young master was about to advance to Dao Sovereign…"

Thinking of this, Xuan Du Ancient Immortal’s expression softened slightly.

The Third Young Master’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The second name was him.

"I wonder, is the eldest on it?" the Third Young Master thought to himself.

Countless pairs of eyes stared at the Dao Lord ranking.

Every second felt like a year.

A quarter of an hour later, the complete Dao Lord ranking was revealed to the world. The Eight Young Masters occupied the top eight positions, but the name of the Eldest Young Master was conspicuously missing!

"He has broken through!"

The Third Young Master felt a chill in his heart.

The Eldest Young Master had always been extremely mysterious; even he could not find any trace, and he knew nothing at all about the Eldest Young Master’s cultivation progress.

Now, he finally knew the Eldest Young Master’s cultivation level.

It was already Dao Sovereign.

Xu Taishou sighed lightly, saying, "As expected, the Eldest Young Master has advanced one step ahead of the Emperor to Dao Sovereign."

"However, what surprises this old servant is that the Second Young Master actually took the top spot."

He completely ignored a note that said.

(The Eight Young Masters are in no particular order).

After all.

The Nine Young Masters had competed for years; the Eldest Young Master’s strength was widely known, but among the remaining eight young masters, even if they formed factions and worked together, none bowed to the others.

"Why are there a group of Dao Lords on this list I have never heard of?" the Third Young Master frowned slightly, such as Dugu Ming ranked ninth, whom he had never even heard about.

Logically, anyone who could rank ninth on the Dao Lord ranking must be renowned, not an unknown figure.

Moreover, this person had the celestial calamity star physique and was a celestial calamity star, essentially a team destroyer; even in the Hongmeng Dao Realm, he should be a celebrated figure.

"Old Xu, Moro, have you heard of it?"

"Your Majesty, this subordinate has not heard."

Moro respectfully said.

Xu Taishou thought for a moment, then shook his head too.

Not only Dugu Ming, but also sixty to seventy others whom Xu Taishou had never heard of.

Xu Taishou had knowledge of the remaining people.

One must know that.

The immortal court mimicked the heavenly court by setting up various departments; for intelligence, there was naturally a specialized agency to gather information on cultivators worldwide, scouting talents and experts for the Third Young Master.

As a top-level figure in the immortal court, Xu Taishou held many core secrets.

Any Dao Lord he hadn’t heard of must have hidden secrets.

"The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is unfathomably deep, his strength rivaling a Celestial Magnate; presumably, he wouldn’t stoop to faking things to trick people. But the origins of this group of unregistered individuals are truly suspicious."

The Third Young Master’s expression turned grave as he frowned.

"Your Majesty, the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is in the pavilion; this person is greedy for wealth and gain; as long as you can pay, he will naturally give the answer." Moro said with a smile.

"Mmm."

The Third Young Master nodded.

His visit to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was precisely for this matter.