Chapter 618 - 349: The Disciples Cannot Hope to Catch Up

With Zhao Rui’s pronouncement, the tone for the entire affair was set.

Only then was everyone certain that cultivating to become an Immortal was no longer a fantasy.

Like the Spiritual Qi Revival and the flourishing of the Martial Dao, it had truly returned to the world.

In other words, the ancient legacies were real.

"But history only spans a few thousand years. The suppression of the Martial Dao lasted far longer than that..."

One of the masters voiced their confusion.

Zhao Rui shook his head. "I don’t know the specifics either. Perhaps *they* know."

As he finished speaking, he looked up toward the sky.

Everyone was suddenly reminded that even if becoming an Immortal was now a reality, there was little to celebrate.

After all, they had all witnessed the power of that colossal, sky-blotting palm from just a moment ago.

A single palm was that powerful. What would happen if its owner arrived in person?

What if the enemy had more than one expert of that caliber?

All eyes turned to Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui nodded. "It is just as you think. Time is short. We have reached the brink of annihilation..."

"Please issue your decree, Great Emperor."

With solemn expressions, they addressed him by his title and bowed deeply to Zhao Rui.

"Gather all Daoist Sects, Buddhist Sects, and every other cultivation Sect. Work day and night to collate all immortal cultivation methods and Daoist Skills. Have the entire world select its most promising disciples..."

"At the same time, do not slacken in your Martial Dao cultivation. Make all Martial Arts publicly available..."

"I command you to gather one hundred masters at or above the Dharma Realm. You will accompany them to the back of Qingcheng Mountain, where I will personally lecture on the Dao!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shaken to the core. They knew this crisis must be serious enough to stir even Zhao Rui.

Otherwise, with his normally lazy disposition, he would never have volunteered to teach them personally.

"We obey the Great Emperor’s decree!"

As the crowd roared its assent, Zhao Rui turned to the Celestial Master. "Dragon Tiger Mountain, Maoshan, the Qingcheng Daoist Sect, and others all possess legacies of Daoist Techniques. I leave the task of gathering the Daoist Sects to be spearheaded by you, Dragon Tiger Mountain..."

Then, he looked to the abbot of the Shaolin Temple. "Shaolin Temple built its reputation on martial prowess, not on cultivation through Buddhist Scripture," he said. "I must ask you, Abbot, to handle this matter and call upon the Arhats of the Buddhist Sect to reveal themselves."

"Amitabha Buddha. This old monk understands."

The Shaolin Abbot’s long eyebrows fluttered in the wind. His expression was placid as he gave a silent nod.

Zhao Rui’s message was perfectly clear: Shaolin was not to cause trouble at this critical juncture. The Martial Dao was the Martial Dao, and the Buddhist Teachings were the Buddhist Teachings. The two were not to interfere with each other. Shaolin was not to entertain any improper notions and jeopardize the fate of Blue Star.

Seeing that everyone had agreed, Zhao Rui nodded. With a casual wave of his hand, he covered the sealed land in ice and snow once more. Then, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished from sight.

"Everyone, the situation is urgent. The enemy could return at any moment. Let’s all get to our respective duties. We must act quickly."

The Qingcheng Sect Leader, Master Weichen, swept his electric gaze over the crowd. After speaking in a clear, loud voice, he turned and, along with Micro Words and the other Qingcheng experts, followed after Zhao Rui.

"Let’s go."

The experts exchanged glances, then rose into the air, flying back to their own territories to gather their people and carry out Zhao Rui’s orders.

Once the Martial Dao experts had departed, the Celestial Master looked to his disciple, Dan Yangzi, unable to contain his smile any longer.

"Heaven has blessed my Dragon Tiger Mountain! Disciple, what Realm of Cultivation have you reached?"

"Master, the Dragon and Tiger have been balanced, and my Primal Pill has formed. I suppose you could say I’ve reached the Great Success stage of the Golden Core Realm."

"The Golden Core Realm? Is the next step the Nascent Soul Realm?"

"The sect’s ancient texts don’t speak of it, but I have a faint feeling that you are correct. However, shattering the Core to form the Soul is no simple feat. I will still need more time."

Dan Yangzi stated frankly.

"And your current strength... how does it compare to those on the Martial Dao side...?"

The Celestial Master glanced back, his meaning obvious. He was referring to the Great Emperor on the distant Qingcheng Mountain.

Dan Yangzi shook his head and sighed. "I am ashamed. I cannot see through him at all. In terms of strength, I can’t even hope to glimpse his shadow."