C4 I Found a Junior Brother for Myself

Gulp!

Blade Sovereign maintained an outward facade of composure, but internally, he was in a state of utter panic.

Swallowing his saliva in secret, he gripped his broken blade and collected his thoughts before venturing, "Di Shitian, I'm aware of your ascension to the Dragon Transforming Nine-change. Show yourself, for today we battle to the death!"

"Such a racket."

An exasperated voice echoed from within the hall.

Creak!

Simultaneously, the grand doors of the hall creaked open, and a body was unceremoniously tossed out.

Thud!

The body landed squarely at Blade Sovereign's feet.

Staring down at the familiar form, Blade Sovereign's mouth hung open, and he stood frozen, lost for words.

Di Shitian!

The figure at his feet was none other than the very Devil Sovereign, Di Shitian, whom he had sought to confront!

Dragon Transforming Nine-change... No, it was the Immortal Platform Stage Di Shitian who had been brutally demoted in rank, only to be effortlessly slain!

The taunting phrase "You dare to claim supremacy before me?" still reverberated in his mind.

Blade Sovereign pieced together the events that must have unfolded inside the hall.

The spatial rifts on Di Shitian's body suggested that as soon as he had reached the Immortal Platform Stage, an Almighty being had ripped through the void, downgraded Di Shitian's powers to Dragon Transforming Nine-change, and then, with a mere manipulation of spatial forces, dispatched him with ease.

After mentally reconstructing the sequence of events, Blade Sovereign kicked Di Shitian's body towards Ling Xuzi, bowed with clasped fists towards the hall, and respectfully offered, "My gratitude to you, Senior, for vanquishing the Devil Sovereign Di Shitian and ridding us of this scourge!"

Silence reigned in the hall; there was no reply.

Blade Sovereign steeled himself and inquired once more, "May I ask for the Senior's name?"

Yet again, the hall remained deathly quiet, offering no response.

Blade Sovereign exchanged uneasy glances with Ling Xuzi and the others, as the atmosphere plunged into an uncomfortable silence.

Anyone capable of dispatching the Devil Sovereign with such ease had to be at least an Immortal Platform Stage expert.

Here, the most formidable was Blade Sovereign, at the Dragon Transforming Nine-change, followed by Ling Xuzi of the Guiyi Sect, at the pinnacle of Dragon Transforming Three-change.

However, even with the combined might of Blade Sovereign and Ling Xuzi, and the addition of the remaining sect elders, they were no match for the powerhouses of the Immortal Platform Stage. The situation had become crystal clear. With the Almighty of the Immortal Platform Stage silent within the grand hall, none dared to make a move, fearing they might incur the Almighty's wrath.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Time ticked away, second by second. The atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. Blade Sovereign and Ling Xuzi, as Dragon Transforming Stage experts, had considerable resilience and were only slightly unsettled for the moment. The Nirvana Stage Elders from the six sects, the Dao Palace Stage Elders, and the disciples of the Sea of Reincarnation Stage were visibly anxious, beads of sweat forming on their brows. The unsettling mood was contagious.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Whether it was the oppressive aura of Blade Sovereign or some unknown peril lurking within the hall, it caused numerous disciples of the Sea of Reincarnation Stage to collapse en masse.

Creak! At that moment, the main doors of the hall slowly swung open from within. A man donning a bamboo hat and a mask, followed by a young woman in a purple robe, stepped out.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Upon seeing the pair emerge from the hall, all practitioners below the Dragon Transforming Stage instinctively bowed their heads in deference.

"The presence of the Sea Reincarnation Stage?" Blade Sovereign was taken aback. Despite not probing the man in the bamboo hat, his keen senses, honed over many years, could discern that this man was merely an ordinary Sea Reincarnation Stage cultivator.

"No, wait! An Immortal Platform Stage Almighty would surely possess the means to conceal his aura." Blade Sovereign clenched his jaw, his perceptive abilities surging forth as he sought to ascertain Su Mo's true level of cultivation.

Indeed, the man in the bamboo hat was none other than Su Mo, and the woman in purple, Shen Muxi. After much deliberation within the hall, Su Mo had devised an ingenious plan. Resorting to impersonating the Devil Sovereign was a desperate measure. Even if Blade Sovereign were aware that the Devil Sovereign had ascended to the Immortal Platform Stage, he would undoubtedly engage in a battle to the death.

Rather than masquerading as the Devil Sovereign, it would be wiser to go with the flow and cast the Devil Sovereign's corpse aside, posing as an unparalleled almighty being!

"You'd do well to cease your petty maneuvers."

Su Mo, drawing on the memories of a spatial travel prodigy, understood that the Blade Sovereign was not easily convinced by hearsay and demanded visual proof. He trusted nothing without verifying it himself.

Given the Blade Sovereign's obstinate nature, he was bound to employ his sensory powers to probe Su Mo!

Unable to detect the Blade Sovereign's scrutiny, Su Mo fixed his gaze on him and said icily, "With your Dragon Transforming Nine-change technique, you're somewhat more formidable than that failure. Your cultivation level is nearly sufficient to contend with a demi-Almighty."

Boom!

The Blade Sovereign swiftly withdrew his sensory exploration and responded with deference, "Senior is too modest. Without your assistance in defeating the Devil Sovereign, we all would have perished today."

"Hmph!"

Su Mo let out a soft snort.

When Su Mo remained silent, the Blade Sovereign hastily added, "Lately, I've been stuck at the pinnacle of the Dragon Transforming Nine-change, feeling as though my path forward is blocked, unable to progress to the Immortal Platform Stage. I seek your guidance, Senior."

"Still attempting to probe me?"

Su Mo chuckled inwardly, standing with his hands clasped behind him, he stated coolly, "You are not a true swordsman. Only when you discard the broken blade you cling to, and your heart is free of blades—when all things become your blade—will you truly excel and ascend to the Immortal Platform Stage."

"No blade in the heart, all things become blades."

The Blade Sovereign repeated these words under his breath.

Suddenly.

The Blade Sovereign shuddered, abruptly removing the broken blade from his back, snapping it in two, and casting it aside.

Discarding the broken blade, a spark of clarity shone in the Blade Sovereign's eyes, and his aura surged to its zenith in an instant.

Boom!

In the next moment.

As if breaking through a barrier, the Blade Sovereign instantly transcended to a new realm.

Immortal Platform!

With Su Mo's seemingly offhand guidance, the Blade Sovereign achieved what had eluded him for years. He leaped from the Dragon Transforming Nine-change, bypassing the Half-step Immortal Platform, and ascended to the First Layer of the Immortal Platform Stage!

Bang!

No sooner had Blade Sovereign achieved his breakthrough than he immediately dropped to one knee before Su Mo, fists clasped, and declared with a resonant voice, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. Henceforth, you shall be my mentor in all but name!"

Blade Sovereign refrained from addressing Su Mo directly as his master, wary of possibly offending him.

After all, an Almighty of Su Mo's caliber typically wouldn't take on disciples, and certainly not one with Blade Sovereign's age and level of talent.

Despite being among the top three powerhouses of Uttarakuru, it remained the weakest of the four major territories.

The other continents—Eastern Vicissitude, Southwatch, and Westbull—were home to beings of immense power, including Almighties and even those of Su Mo's supreme stature.

"…"

At Blade Sovereign's proclamation, a spasm flickered across Su Mo's lips.

I was merely bluffing, and yet you've truly ascended to the Immortal Platform Stage.

Su Mo was acutely aware that it had been centuries since an Almighty of the Immortal Platform Stage had emerged in Uttarakuru, a land forsaken by the other three continents.

Blade Sovereign's successful rise to the Immortal Platform Stage was indeed a moment of triumph.

Naturally, Su Mo found a measure of satisfaction in being recognized as a mentor by Blade Sovereign.

This acknowledgment would facilitate the unfolding of his plans, effectively securing a senior brother for himself… No, more precisely, he had acquired a junior brother!