Chapter 719: Time to Make a Contribution

Chapter 719: Chapter 719: Time to Make a Contribution

The silent smile carried more weight than any words.

The atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

Xu Yunfan met True Monarch Pu Du’s gaze, which seemed to pierce right through a person’s heart, and his thoughts raced.

He understood that before a veteran Old Demon like True Monarch Pu Du, any attempt to explain himself would be futile.

The man didn’t need evidence; he trusted only his own judgment and deductions.

Besides, his ascension in the Eastern Wilderness had been a world-shaking event. Xu Yunfan certainly hadn’t forgotten that True Monarch Pu Du had intervened to block a Great Bodhisattva from the Puchen Pure Land on his behalf.

True Monarch Pu Du was clearly holding him accountable for True Monarch Qingyuan’s death.

Now, the man was using this as a pretext to demand he take responsibility. In reality, he wanted Xu Yunfan to take over some of the territories and troublesome affairs left behind by True Monarch Qing Yuan. This would bind them more deeply to his newly established Divine Sky Dharma Lineage, making him part of the Primordial Sect’s core pillars, not just some newly ascended True Monarch.

The grander the Dharma Lineage and the more outstanding its disciples, the more prosperous its Destiny would be. As the head of the Dharma Lineage, Xu Yunfan’s own foundation would naturally grow deeper. These were tangible benefits.

But in turn, his responsibilities and entanglement in the Sect’s internal conflicts would also deepen.

True Monarch Pu Du was planning for the Primordial Sect’s future while also balancing its internal powers.

After all, including Xu Yunfan, the Primordial Sect now had only three Golden Core True Monarchs.

Weighing the pros and cons, Xu Yunfan knew he didn’t have many choices.

The indignant look on his face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He dropped the act. A moment later, as if he’d come to an understanding, he cupped his hands and spoke with newfound gravity, "You are right to chastise me, Senior Brother. I misspoke. What happened to Senior Brother Qingyuan is truly lamentable.

"Your words must be in consideration of the Sect’s overall situation. Since this matter will benefit the Sect’s legacy and development, strengthening the very foundation of our Primordial Sect, then as a member of the Primordial Sect, I have an undeniable duty!

"Accepting disciples, passing on my teachings, continuing the Dharma Lineage... I, Xu Yunfan, accept this responsibility!"

’I knew this would cost me something.’

Seeing Xu Yunfan finally relent, the smile on True Monarch Pu Du’s face grew more genuine. He nodded. "Excellent. Your understanding of the bigger picture is a blessing for the Sect, Junior Brother."

He said no more, rising to his feet. "You must take this matter to heart. When selecting disciples, value quality over quantity. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come find me at Chenghua Mountain."

With that, Dao Rhyme flowed around his body, and his figure dissipated on the spot like a phantom, as if he had never been there.

After seeing True Monarch Pu Du off, Xu Yunfan stood alone in the grand and solemn main hall of the Divine Sky Palace, his brow slightly furrowed.

’That old monster never does anything without a reason.’

His Divine Thought swept over the vast Divine Sky Mountain below.

Amidst the rolling mountain ranges, flickers of Purple Gold Thunder Light were faintly visible. Pavilions and towers dotted the landscape, and the disciples’ residences stood in dense rows.

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, the sound of Dao teachings was clear and resonant; on the training grounds, Thunder Techniques boomed; in the Artifact Refining Workshop and Alchemy Rooms, the furnace fires never ceased.

It was a scene brimming with vitality.

He certainly had many disciples now, thousands upon thousands, all cultivating the Divine Sky Thunder Skill. Blessed by his Destiny as a True Monarch, their Cultivation speed was much faster than it would be in the outside world.

But just as True Monarch Pu Du had said, and as Xu Yunfan himself had seen, among all these disciples, there wasn’t a single one who could be called truly outstanding or eye-catching.

Even his former master, Bi Yuan—the man who had first led him into the Taoist Sect—was only barely managing to establish his Dao Foundation. He was relying on the immense Spiritual Qi of Divine Sky Mountain and the karmic feedback from Xu Yunfan’s Destiny as a True Monarch. His potential was limited; without a great stroke of luck, he had no hope of reaching Golden Core.

Perhaps after five cycles of Reincarnation, he would simply fade into obscurity.

There was nothing Xu Yunfan could do.

His other early followers, like Xuezhen, Qingming, Elder Ni, and the Maiyi Old Taoist, were performing acceptably, but they were merely the best of a mediocre lot. They were far from being able to truly inherit his legacy and stand on their own in the future landscape of the Primordial Sect.

’Is True Monarch Pu Du trying to increase the Primordial Sect’s foundation?’

Xu Yunfan scoffed at the thought. The Primordial Sect had the Daoist Lord behind it. Even if it were truly facing destruction, the Daoist Lord would not sit idly by.

’Could he be plotting for the Great True Monarch Position of the Late-Stage Golden Core realm?’

Xu Yunfan’s brow furrowed. In the entire Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm—setting aside the lesser sects of the various continents—the strongest cultivators among the three major powers of the Wansheng Sword Sect, the Puchen Pure Land, and the Primordial Sect were only at the Mid-Stage Golden Core realm.

As for the Late-Stage Golden Core, there wasn’t a single one. He didn’t know the reason, and he couldn’t even find any mention of it in the ancient records.

’My own foundation is still too shallow in the end. There’s so much I don’t know.’

’A grand Dharma Lineage might bolster my foundation, but without worthy successors, it’s ultimately just a castle in the sky...’ Xu Yunfan mused.

True Monarch Pu Du was right. In a brutal environment like the Primordial Sect, some truly promising prospects might perish in conflict or peril before they even had a chance to shine.

If he could discover them early, take them under his wing, and offer them protection and guidance, perhaps he could really cultivate a few useful talents. They could strengthen the foundation of his Dharma Lineage, share the burden of Sect affairs, and perhaps become allies in the future.

However, Xu Yunfan wasn’t particularly invested in the idea. He knew True Monarch Pu Du had a deeper motive for this matter.

But with True Monarch Pu Du’s demand, Xu Yunfan had no choice but to agree.

’Looks like I really will have to go pick a few disciples myself.’

Xu Yunfan made his decision.

His gaze drifted to the world below Divine Sky Mountain. The Primordial Sect was the overlord of the Northern Continent, a vast territory with countless Mortal Realms.

To select disciples, he couldn’t just look on his own Divine Sky Mountain. He had to search the wider world where Outer Disciples struggled to survive and Inner Sect Disciples competed fiercely. He had to go to the fringes of dangerous lands and Secret Realms to find those uncut jades who still shone with potential while struggling on the brink of life and death.

However, the matter wasn’t urgent.

The most pressing task was still the arrangement in the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation.

After confirming True Monarch Pu Du had left, he reactivated the Grand Array, and his Heart and Spirit sank back into the link with the Attribute Panel.

At the edge of the Sea of Suffering, Han Shi remained silent amidst the Yin Nether Cloud Qi, meticulously carrying out commands under Xu Yunfan’s guidance.

One after another, new Array Banners and more complex Array Hubs were continuously driven into the wider spatial nodes surrounding the White Bone Island.

Some plunged beneath the surging waves of blood, connecting to the Earth Vein’s Yin Evil. Some were embedded within giant skeletons, drawing upon the resentful power of departed souls.

Others were suspended within the bleak Cloud Qi, gathering the aura of deathly stillness.

The power of the Nine Nether Profound Evil Slaughter Immortal Thunder Array was being reinforced layer by layer. The outer Ten Thousand Tribulations Yin Evil Extinction Sword Array Formation, which drew its power from the endless murderous Muddy Fiend of the Sea of Suffering, also grew more substantial, its ferocious aura contained but yet to be unleashed.

Han Shi’s facial muscles twitched uncontrollably every time he drove an Array Banner into a dangerous position.

The fear in his heart had not disappeared; on the contrary, it deepened as the Array grew more complete.

Watching himself personally place those Array Instruments that radiated an aura of destruction, he could almost see his own possible fate.

Once the Array Formation activated, he would surely be trapped within it, his body crushed to pieces and his Divine Soul annihilated.

Those few scattered thoughts of resistance or escape that he had just forcibly suppressed seemed all the more ridiculous and futile during this process of setting up the array.

He could only forcefully suppress all such thoughts once more, resignedly continuing to carry out Xu Yunfan’s every command.

In Xu Yunfan’s vision, the Attribute Panel clearly reflected the complex and suppressed emotional fluctuations from Han Shi’s soul link.