At this moment, before the altar, Qingzhi felt both excited and apprehensive...
His excitement stemmed from the fact after several failed attempts, he hadn't expected to actually succeed in summoning the legendary Demon Monarch using an ancient sorcery.
He was apprehensive because he didn't know if the Demon Monarch was as evil as the legends said, whether or not he would devour the souls of his summoners.
But there was no time to worry about that now. The disciples of the Blood Sect had stored a sliver of their life essence in the Shadow Cottage, allowing the Master of the Shadow Cottage to track their locations at all times. They had no means of escape and could only face the Qi Sect's onslaught head-on.
Perhaps this Demon Monarch from another realm could help fend off the Qi Sect's attack. With 'Him' present, the Master of the Shadow Cottage would surely reconsider how to deal with the Blood Sect's disciples.
Essentially, the appearance of the Demon Monarch roused hope for Blood Sect members within the Shadow Cottage to escape this calamity...
Thus, after the Demon Monarch's question, Qingzhi hastily explained, "In this realm, Blood Sect refers to the school of thought that cultivates through consuming 'inner cores', while the Qi Sect believe in obtaining the infusion of power from a 'Dao lineage' to form a 'Sea of Qi' within the body, similar to an inner core..."
Raphael was completely baffled: 'Did I just get summoned into a cultivation world?'
Qingzhi continued, "The advantage of the Blood Sect is that anyone who obtains an appropriate-level inner core can rapidly gain corresponding abilities. But the drawback is that it drastically alters the cultivator's temperament, inducing bloodlust and a craving for slaughter. In severe cases, they can become mindless monsters..."
Raphael was taken aback: 'That sounds a lot like the consequences of consuming a Beyonder potion incorrectly.'
"The advantage of the Qi Sect is its gradual progression, with few accidents caused by improper personal cultivation," Qingzhi said, "But this Sect's drawback is its reliance on fate and opportunity, so not everyone can become a Qi Sect disciple, and advancement through each realm requires power infusion from a Dao lineage. As one's realm increases, receiving Dao lineage infusions becomes increasingly difficult, requiring dedicated cultivation and sufficient fate. Because of this, many Qi Sect disciples remain trapped in the early stage of the 'Mortal Realm' their entire lives..."
At this point, the chief priest seemed to recall something, "Cultivators in our realm are broadly divided into three realms, from lowest to highest: Mortal Realm, Deification Realm, and Void Refinement Realm, with each realm divided into early, middle, and late stages."
Raphael was stunned again: 'That's clearly Sequences 9 through 1! Meaning the so-called early-stage Mortal Realm is just Sequence 9! Stuck at Sequence 9 for life?'
Qingzhi continued, "Although major sects cultivate batches of Blood Sect disciples, their status is much lower than that of Qi Sect disciples. Only the two Great Demonic Sects and Shadow Cottage place Blood Sect disciples on equal footing with Qi Sect disciples."
"...The Demonic Sects revere bloodshed and slaughter, hence the Blood Sect's cultivation methods are even promoted by them. As for the Shadow Cottage... it's because several hundred years ago, a great cultivator at the middle stage of Void Refinement Realm emerged from us. That was our sect's founder. Only then did the Master of the Shadow Cottage acknowledge the status of Blood Sect disciples, and it took another century or two for the Blood Sect and Qi Sect to achieve equal standing."
Raphael's jaw dropped: 'Impressive! Truly impressive! He managed to advance all the way to Sequence 2 by consuming raw Beyonder characteristics! After that, he even lived for centuries!'
In his understanding, only the Beyonder creatures, the creatures of myths, from the First and Second Epochs did such things...
Qingzhi said, "Since ancient times, the Blood Sects of various schools have produced many, great cultivators at the Void Refinement Realm. But rarely have there been any like our founder, who retained complete sanity."
Here, the chief priest sighed, then said, "However, for over a decade now, rumors have circulated that the Patriarch's lifespan is nearing its end and his condition is deteriorating. It's said that once the Patriarch loses most of his sanity, the Master of the Shadow Cottage will purge our ranks..."
"...Upon learning this news, the Qi Sect disciples immediately began coordinating, planning to eliminate all key Blood Sect figures within the Shadow Cottage to regain control. We've also heard this matter has received the tacit approval of the Master of the Shadow Cottage."
Raphael roughly understood the situation. After the Blood Sect achieved equal standing with the Qi Sect, they must have encroached upon many of the Qi Sect's resources. Now that the Blood Sect's Angel was in poor condition, the Qi Sect naturally wanted to reclaim those resources.
After a brief moment of thought, Raphael said, "A cultivator at the middle stage of Void Refinement Realm should have a lifespan of two to three thousand years. How could it be exhausted after only a few centuries?"
'We're talking about a whole Sequence 2 Angel here!' he thought.
Based on the knowledge Raphael acquired after transmigrating, Beyonders at this level had lifespans of at least two thousand years.
Most of the Angels within the current Churches are Beyonders from the Fourth Epoch...
Qingzhi had only only learned after advancing to a late-stage Deification Realm cultivator (equivalent to Sequence 4) that cultivators at the middle stage of the Void Refinement Realm enjoyed greatly extended lifespans, though he didn't know the specifics.
Hearing the Demon Monarch casually state the lifespan of cultivators at this realm made him even more awestruck. He answered, "The specifics are unclear to us."
Raphael almost asked: Didn't you try praying to ask what was happening?
But then he realized that this realm's mysticism might differ from the one where Loen existed. Although he had prefaced with "Do not assume this Demon Monarch is omniscient and omnipotent," asking too many questions would still damage the Demon Monarch's image.
So Raphael decided to figure out these details when he had the chance.
For now, he declared, "I have a method that can restore your patriarch's condition..."
Raphael suspected that the so-called middle-stage Void Refinement Realm cultivator, though able to maintain sufficient rationality initially, was experiencing a buildup of the distortion and chaos from swallowing Beyonder characteristics raw over centuries, which was now nearing a breaking point.
It wasn't that his lifespan was ending.
As long as there were no obvious signs of loss of control, promptly starting to 'act' might barely sustain his condition. If he continued to act diligently for a long time afterward, his condition might even improve somewhat.
As long as this Angel backed the Shadow Cottage's Blood Sect, the calamity Qingzhi faced would be resolved.
And since this realm's classification of Beyonder power was roughly divided by cultivation stages, there were likely no potion names and, consequently, no corresponding Acting Method...
Upon hearing the Demon Monarch's words, Qingzhi immediately understood the implication. He was overjoyed, "Chen Qingzhi kowtows in gratitude to the Demon Monarch."
"Don't be so quick to thank me," Raphael said, "I have conditions."
Qingzhi's heart skipped a beat, "Please state your terms, Demon Monarch. Qingzhi will do his utmost to fulfill your wishes."
He had already resolved that as long as it wasn't his own soul that would be devoured, he would provide as many other souls as the Demon Monarch demanded.
Raphael stated, "I am very curious about the circumstances of your realm. Give me a detailed account of the history and notable figures of this world."
Qingzhi was taken aback: 'That's all?'
Then he realized the Demon Monarch's goal couldn't be that simple: 'He is most likely assessing the situation in this realm to see if there is an opportunity for a large-scale invasion...'
But the chief priest naturally couldn't concern himself with that now, "This humble one will speak without reservation, holding nothing back."
Raphael nodded with an air of grandeur, then casually lied, "Hmm, the method I speak of is actually quite simple. However, only cultivators who have experienced the Void Refinement Realm can comprehend its benefits."
Qingzhi pressed his forehead directly to the ground: 'This Demon Monarch possesses the terrifying cultivation of at least middle-stage Void Refinement Realm!'
~~~
{T/N: Originally, the author states that the Qi Sect advances by the infusion of power from the 'True Monarch's Jade Body'. But according to the LOTM wiki, the Orthodox Sects gain power from praying to the Sefirot, which disguise themselves as Deities in the Western Continent.
Since the Western Continent uses the Dao System, and the semi-active Sefirot pose as 'Heavenly Court' and 'Dao', in order to remain in accord with the wiki, I opted to adapt Dao lineage in the cultivation system instead of 'True Monarch's Jade Body' (Which is a concept I'm unfamiliar with within the context of LOTM)...
I may be wrong in doing it this way, and it'll probably come back and bite me in the ass going forward, but meh... we live and learn🤷🏽♂️.}