The Alchemist King chose his words very cleverly in only mentioning restrictions and not an outright ban on the sale of these three items. This was a display of the Supplemental Dao Alliance’s supreme generosity, their unbounded magnanimity in not wanting to run their competition into the ground.
There were countless treasures within the Immortal Pagoda, but the most lucrative were the Six Paths Reincarnation Pill, Eight Treasures Return Pill, and lightning rods. As useful as emotion formations were, they were so prohibitively expensive that not everyone could buy them.
Only the Eight Treasures Return Pill existed in the Hongmeng before—it provided an immediate ascension to someone in the inferior or common realm. There was a great restriction on these kinds of pills in that they could only be taken once in a cultivator’s life.
Taking another would prove completely ineffective.
But along came the Six Paths Reincarnation Pill, a pill with the same effects as the Eight Treasures one. That instantly propelled these two pills to the top of the realm’s bestsellers. Combined with the lightning rods, that meant cultivators no longer needed to fear heavenly tribulations and could break through successively to their heart’s desire.
More importantly, the Eight Treasures Return Pills that the Immortal Pagoda sold were less than a tenth of the same pill that the Supplemental Dao Alliance sold. It was excellent quality at a cheap price!
The alliance had originally wanted to engage in a price war with the Immortal Pagoda, but their strategy fell apart when it came to the Eight Treasures Return Pill. One of its core ingredients was the crystal core of an arcane beast king—something that could only be wished for and not sought out. There weren’t that many in the alliance’s vault, so they couldn’t use all of it to refine the pill.
Besides, the pill was an uncommonly complicated and complex one to make. Even the Alchemist King wasn’t guaranteed to succeed every time.
There were no longer any options available to them other than fully beating the Immortal Pagoda into the ground. Absorb Lu Yun into the alliance? That was possible only after they took him down a peg or two. If they recruited him as is, that’d be welcoming a new dictator to rule over them all.
If they could force him to give way on the manner of these three items, then they could force him back a second, a third time… all the way until the Immortal Pagoda closed up shop.
Thus, the Alchemist King spoke with resounding conviction and connected with the Luminous King’s momentum, forming a sense of fervent righteousness that bore down on the Tiger Butcher King.
“Ahem!” Tiger Butcher turned a blind eye to the pressure that was crashing down on him. He chuckled ruefully, “My master has naturally considered what the two lords speak of.”
“Oh?” Both the Alchemist King and the Luminous King paused when they heard this response.
“My master once said that the Hongmeng is infinitely vast and cultivation methods are manifold in their number and variety. Any level below kinghood is not cultivation, becoming a titled king is the true start of it all!” Tiger Butcher placed his hands behind his back and launched into a speech. “The so-called inferior, common, and superior realms beneath kinghood are all a waste of time and energy! Reaching the superior realm with the fastest speed possible is naturally the best choice!
“The Eight Treasures Return and Six Paths Reincarnation Pills are two pills without any side effects. They also consolidate one’s foundations and strengthen the core essence! Without a doubt, they are the best path for Hongmeng cultivators to take.
“To start like an ant from the inferior realm? Even the strongest genius runs the risk of dying in boundless Hongmeng. It is far better for one to soar to the heights of superior realm and deploy one’s full potential starting there. We ensure self protection in this way, and isn’t it much more gratifying to then step forward into kinghood?!”
The main hall was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. The Tiger Butcher King’s words and their implications were too stupefying. Cultivation methods abounded within the Hongmeng, but the true start of one’s path was at kinghood!
No one below a titled king counted as a cultivator, and starting from the superior realm ensured that one would make greater progress on their journey!
“Absurd!” The Alchemist King’s eyes widened in rebuke as he retorted hotly, “Using pills to forcefully increase one’s cultivation level is sacrilegious to the great dao. It is hardly the true path of cultivation!”
“Then I ask the Alchemist King, from where does your cultivation to be a titled king come from?” Tiger Butcher responded evenly.
“I specialize in the supplemental dao, so I am a supplemental king. I care not for any other cultivation.” Alchemist recovered his composure as he looked at Tiger Butcher. “If I was not a supplemental cultivator, then I would make my way up from the inferior realm, step by step in an honest fashion, until I reached titled king!
“Though I may die, I would hold no regrets!”
Though I may die, I would hold no regrets!
The last declaration was so substantial that it inspired similar sentiment in many of the other kings present. Each of them had made their painstaking way through cultivation, ascending through the ranks from inferior realm, cleaving true to their path, and bravely soldiering forward even when facing death.
“What lofty words.” Tiger Butcher shook his head with a slight chuckle.
“And why do you laugh, Tiger Butcher King?” The Luminous King was quite uncomfortable with this display of merriment.
“I laugh at the Alchemist King for being willing to die without regrets, but at the same time unable to see through to the true nature of dao.” A smirk appeared on Tiger Butcher’s face. “He uses pills to raise his cultivation level all the way to kinghood, but tells others that they should make their way up step by step. Don’t you find it hilarious that he says they should die without regret?
“For what is supplemental dao? It is a supplement to dao!
“Supplemental daos exist to complement cultivation and is the path of concentrating outside forces on one’s own dao! This Alchemist King is a supplemental king, yet loses sight of what is most important. He doesn’t know which should take first priority, but is perfectly fine with cultivation grandstanding. He would die without regret for pursuit of dao? Now that’s a statement of utmost ludicrousness!”
He that keeps company with wolves will learn to howl was an apt saying for the Tiger Butcher King. After following Lu Yun for a period of time and baptism from the Tome of Life and Death, his worldview now ranked at the top of the realm in the Hongmeng. He was far from the Tiger Butcher King of old.
He continued with another laugh without waiting for a response. “If you don’t believe me, you can go ask the Hongmeng Tower why it doesn’t appear for a supplemental king or even give them a title. When my master and mistress became supplemental kings, the tower appeared in full and named them the Immortal King and Intrance King!
“It’s because my master knows that supplemental dao exists to assist cultivation. It’s to help cultivators from taking too many wrong turns along their path, but somehow turns into the foundation of the Hongmeng when you speak of it?” Here, Tiger Butcher sighed with emotion.
Brooding looks appeared on many a supplemental grandmaster on the scene. They’d always thought highly of themselves and conducted their actions accordingly, but now that they listened to Tiger Butcher, it did make sense that this was what they were meant for.
They had nothing to say when it came to the Hongmeng Tower. It was true that none of the supplemental kings present, including the Alchemist King, had summoned the Hongmeng Tower when they ascended to kinghood. Yet the tower had come when the Immortal King took his place. This was proof enough that he was stronger than them!
“But it’s not good to overly rely on supplemental dao,” a third step king suddenly offered. His tones were far removed from the threatening attitude that everyone had adopted earlier.
“It depends on that person’s dao heart. Those with dao hearts strong enough will see through everything. External items are just that, objects. If they happen across one’s path, why not accept it? If one is in possession of it, then why not use it? If one uses it, then why not seek further heights with it?
“Those with weaker dao hearts will obsess over dying and not regretting it.”
Quite a few people wanted to laugh at the obvious snub, but they didn’t dare to when the Alchemist King was present.
“What is the purpose of currying favor with these supplemental grandmasters and kings?” Tiger Butcher suddenly asked. “Will they refine pills and treasures for you just because you fawn over them?
“You might as well go to the Immortal Pagoda—“
Boom!
A large hand suddenly appeared in the air midway through his remarks and slapped him to death, crushing his true spirit out of existence.
“You deserve death for corrupting the public with an evil doctrine!” sounded a dignified voice as the Blood King walked out of an inner chamber.
All of the cultivators in the main hall shook and fell silent.
