Jiang Yuechu collected her thoughts and looked up at Uncle Xun. "So, above this spirit grade, are there any other grades of dao chess pieces?"
Uncle Xun was slightly taken aback.
The old man instinctively wanted to advise the young girl not to aim too high, as obtaining a spirit grade was already a stroke of luck found only once in ten thousand miles.
But on second thought...
How could the person before him be judged by the standards of ordinary people?
He shook his head with a sigh and continued his explanation.
"This... naturally, there are."
The old man's expression became extremely solemn.
"Above the spirit grade, there is the Immortal Grade dao chess piece."
"When an Immortal Grade is born, its radiance is a dazzling purple, and the phenomena of heaven and earth are even more terrifying. Not only is there Immortal music playing in unison, but there are also phantoms of Dragons and Phoenixes accompanying it, with purple Qi extending thirty thousand li from the east."
"But a dao chess piece of this quality is definitely not something the Cultivators or demons in the Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh can possess... Perhaps only by going north, to the Jieqing Sect or the Southern Immortal Palace, where the entire strength of a sect or palace is exhausted, can an Immortal Grade dao chess piece be piled up for their most core direct Disciples."
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly, not speaking to interrupt.
"And above the Immortal Grade... is the Heaven Grade dao chess piece."
"Heaven Grade?" Jiang Yuechu's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Indeed."
Uncle Xun nodded, but his expression gained a touch of etherealness. "However, regarding this Heaven Grade dao chess piece, I have only seen a few words about it in ancient Incomplete Manuals."
"Rumor has it that when a Heaven Grade is born, heaven and earth share in its sorrow and joy, and all laws submit... But for quality of this level... there hasn't been any definite news in Yunmeng Township for a long time."
"Whether it is true or false remains unknown..."
Jiang Yuechu pondered silently.
An object of dao integration, plus a Chess Player demon body reshaped by consuming over two million years of Dao Cultivation.
Only after throwing in such foundations was she barely able to enlighten a spirit grade dao chess piece.
Then the so-called Immortal Grade, and even the Heaven Grade...
What kind of terrifying resources would they require?
And the Prodigies who possessed such foundations... how terrifying must their strength be?
"The gap is still quite large..."
However, she didn't feel any sense of discouragement.
With the system panel as her backup, as long as she had enough Dao Cultivation...
In the future, she might not be unable to glimpse the legendary scenery of the Heaven Grade.
Having learned this.
Jiang Yuechu casually changed the subject. "I just heard you mention the Jieqing Sect and the Southern Immortal Palace. What's the story behind these two places?"
Hearing such an inquiry.
Uncle Xun was no longer surprised by this.
If she didn't even know the grades of dao chess pieces, it was only logical that she wouldn't know of these two behemoths.
He simply started from the basics. "Does Senior know the origin of the name Yunmeng Township?"
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him silently.
If you're going to say it, just say it.
Why the suspense?
What?
Bullying her because she's a country bumpkin who doesn't understand these things?
Feeling the girl's gaze, the old man wasn't embarrassed and explained to himself, "Rumor has it that many years ago, this place was originally a wasteland. An Immortal God descended from the Nine Heavens and, with a flick of his sleeve, enlightened it, creating this vast and boundless Yunmeng Township. However, after the enlightenment, the Immortal God no longer personally concerned himself with mortal affairs, but handed them over to his Disciples to manage on his behalf."
"Immortal God?"
Jiang Yuechu was slightly startled.
This was the first time she had heard of this title.
One must know that although Immortal and Immortal God seemed to be separated by only one word, the meaning they represented was worlds apart.
In the land of Great Tang, even the five maggots of Five Immortals Mountain could call themselves Immortals... but she had never seen anyone dare to call themselves an Immortal God.
The difference between them was evident.
"Later... for some unknown reason, the Disciples of the Immortal God mysteriously disappeared. Instead, those demons and Beasts who were kept under the Disciples' wings took the opportunity to revolt, seized the orthodox authority, and established themselves as the Yunmeng Palace."
"Although the Disciples of the Immortal God are gone, their followers and descendants were unwilling to associate with the demons. They went their separate ways, spreading across various parts of Yunmeng Township and founding what are now the Nine Great Dao Sects."
The old man stroked his beard, his face showing a look of pride.
"Since the disappearance of the Immortal God, the Nine Great Dao Sects have been passed down from generation to generation, and their incense has never been extinguished."
"Furthermore, the nine sects have a covenant with each other to share a common enemy. Even when facing the Yunmeng Palace, they do not fear it in the slightest."
"And that Jieqing Sect is one of these Nine Great Dao Sects."
At this point.
A look of yearning appeared in Uncle Xun's eyes.
"Rumor has it that the founding Ancestral Master of the Jieqing Sect was originally a Sword-bearing boy under a Disciple of the Immortal God."
"In the past, he slashed through the eternal blue sky with a single sword and established the Dao Sect atop the summit of Boundary Mountain, claiming that 'one sword boundaries the blue sky, and all laws lower their brows.'"
"As for that Southern Immortal Palace."
The old man gave a cold snort.
"It's just a branch court established by that group of demons from Yunmeng Palace in the southern part of Yunmeng Township... Usually, they act like tyrants by relying on the prestige of Yunmeng Palace, but if they really had to face the Jieqing Sect, they would have to weigh their own worth."
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly to the old man's long discourse.
Her dark eyes remained calm and unruffled.
This version of the story was more than just a little different from what the old woman, The Main Seat of Restless Soil, had said back in the Yu Mountain Great Range.
In the old woman's words, Yunmeng Township was home to ten thousand races, but ultimately, demons were supreme, with Yunmeng Palace at the head.
In this old man's mouth, it had become the Nine Great Dao Sects not fearing Yunmeng Palace, and even being able to stand as equals.
Jiang Yuechu was no fool.
She could naturally hear the exaggeration within.
As a member of the Human Race, the old man naturally couldn't help but elevate the status of Human Cultivators in his speech.
But no matter how extravagantly he boasted, he couldn't cover up one fact.
With nine against one, they could only maintain a balance.
That was truly pathetic.
"However..."
Uncle Xun's tone shifted, adding a bit of helplessness.
"Although the Nine Great Dao Sects are the orthodox Human Race, they rarely bother with the affairs of those Loose Cultivators outside. And while powers like the Southern Immortal Palace won't actively provoke the Dao Sects, they like to secretly support other scattered demons."
As the old man said this, a flash of sheepishness appeared in his cloudy eyes.
"Therefore... whether it's this Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh or other regions of Yunmeng Township, we Human Cultivators ultimately still find ourselves at a slight disadvantage."
The old man shook his head, his face full of bitterness.
Their own top boss was unwilling to meddle in others' business, while the other side's backer provided special treatment to the Beasts below every day.
In the long run, how could ordinary Loose Cultivators like them, who had no one to rely on, not live with their tails between their legs?
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly.
But she didn't feel any contempt in her heart.
Whether it was the Southern Immortal Palace or the Jieqing Sect, both were top-tier powers entrenched in this world.
Their foundations... were not something she could currently contend with.
It was better to keep a low profile for now...
Seeing that the girl didn't speak, Uncle Xun paused slightly and then continued, "The Immortal Lord Guanlan, whom we are preparing a grand gift for to celebrate his birthday, is one of the powers secretly supported by the Southern Immortal Palace."
"This Immortal Lord's true form is merely an ordinary carp demon from the Great Marsh that gained intelligence. Logically, given its background and Aptitude, it wouldn't even touch the threshold of a Chess Player even if it cultivated until death."
"But this carp demon somehow used some means to win the heart of the Southern Immortal Palace Master's young daughter."
"That Little Palace Mistress was completely infatuated and insisted on marrying no one but him."
"What kind of status does the Southern Immortal Palace Master have? Naturally, he looked down on such a lowly background. He spoke out publicly, refusing to recognize this marriage no matter what, and even threatened to skin the carp demon alive."
Uncle Xun's lips curled into a sneer.
"But no matter how harsh the words were, that was still his own daughter's sweetheart."
"Secretly, the Southern Immortal Palace sent over countless Heaven And Earth Treasures, using resources to forcefully pile this carp demon up into a great demon of the six-piece Chess Player level."
"They even allowed him to claim kingship in this Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh, achieving the prestigious name of Immortal Lord."