Chapter 545 - 326: Might of the Confucian Saint, the Celestial Dao’s Extermination Decree, Emergence of the Absolute Brewed Blood Spring

Ascension Mountain Peak.

The sky-filling divine thunder, a symbol of heavenly wrath, had already dissipated. However, the seven-colored golden mist from the Ascension Platform still lingered in the firmament, and the countless divine silhouettes continued to gaze down coldly upon the Mortal World.

Only within the cave had the commotion finally subsided.

The Holy Authority of the Saint from before had quietly faded away.

Such a scene couldn’t help but raise doubts among the onlookers.

Had the act to Change Destiny succeeded, or had it failed?

"Did it succeed?"

Yun Qinghe and the others were all uncertain.

By common logic, if the Celestial Dao showed its displeasure, it meant they were on the verge of success nine times out of ten. But whether they would actually succeed still depended on luck.

The Celestial Dao Rules may be displeased, but the price was paid during the process itself. There would be no punishing Celestial Tribulation, no tangible harm.

"To Change Destiny... since ancient times, very few have ever managed it. What’s more, they were trying to resurrect one of the Saints and Sages?"

A Demon Monarch with a rhinoceros horn, seeing no aura emerge from the cave for a long time, laughed aloud. He believed the Emperor of Great Yan must have failed.

"That’s right. Even if an Immortal were to act personally, they would probably lose half their life or even perish. How could Lu Mingyuan, a mere Martial Artist, possibly accomplish it?"

The other Great Demons with him all deeply agreed.

They didn’t believe the Great Yan Dynasty could possess a method to resurrect Saints and Sages. It was all just a fool’s errand.

But soon, they could no longer laugh.

Because everyone present saw a figure appear within the once-dark cave.

The figure was tall and slender, with the build of a middle-aged man. One hand was held across his chest while the other was clasped behind his back. He walked with his head held high and his chest out, his steps steady and slow, yet his demeanor was incomparably refined and gentle.

He looked like an ordinary person with no Cultivation whatsoever.

As he reached the mouth of the cave, the cold wind on the peak blew past, causing the long hair at his temples to flutter. His expression was...

Composed.

Calm.

Serene.

Qi Xingyan stood at the entrance of the cave, his gaze profound. He scanned his surroundings, as if taking note of who was present.

"Who is that? Is it the Emperor of Great Yan? I seem to remember Master Qi being extremely old."

"Impossible. I’ve seen the Emperor of Great Yan. He’s very young, only in his twenties. He couldn’t possibly be middle-aged."

"In that case, who is this man?"

Down below, many experts from the Demon Race speculated among themselves.

"Playing tricks."

Dragon Halberd snorted, pressing his large palm onto the Bright Candle Treasure Pearl and infusing it with Demon Qi. A stream of Profound Yellow Qi immediately shot out, flying toward Qi Xingyan.

"Vast Energy Endures."

Qi Xingyan simply spoke those three words.

Tiny golden characters flew from his mouth, growing larger and larger until they were the size of a person. The three large golden words circled Qi Xingyan, transforming into three blazing suns that rose slowly, casting a brilliant Golden Light that illuminated the world.

In the next moment, the Confucian Holy Qi that erupted from his body enveloped the entire hundred-li radius of the Ascension Mountain Peak. It then spread to the empty firmament and up into the starry sky, transforming it into a sea of stars.

This entire stretch of heaven and earth was covered by the Confucian Holy Qi, and that stream of Profound Yellow Qi was shattered along with it.

The Golden Light alone did not harm the Human Race, but the tens of thousands of demons, as well as the sky-full of Immortal Evil Thoughts from the Returning Ruins Silent Sea, suddenly let out blood-curdling wails. Their bodies split apart from the inside out, splattering Demonic Qi as they disintegrated one after another.

Innumerable characters of the Confucian Dao interwove, lifting Qi Xingyan into the air. The light they emitted grew even more dazzling, like a Divine Sun that threatened to illuminate the oppressive, dark, starry sky.

A majestic Holy Authority emanated from Qi Xingyan, blanketing the heavens and earth. It spread in all directions, causing ripples to appear in the Spiritual Qi.

Even from a great distance, one could clearly feel the vast and intimidating pressure that weighed upon the world.

"So this is a Saint..."

Witnessing this scene, every Human Race Cultivator couldn’t help but gasp, their faces filled with utter shock and astonishment.

Upon reaching the Confucian Saint Realm, one could illuminate a sea of stars and command celestial phenomena on the level of the Wenqu Star’s descent. They could imbue the entire world with a layer of Vast Righteous Qi, which had a suppressive and lethal effect on all manner of evil demons.

"Look! There’s a word in the sky!"

Someone hastily pointed above the clouds, shouting a reminder.

The Human Race Cultivators scrambled to look up at the sky and indeed discovered an enormous character for "Slay"!

"That’s the Celestial Dao’s Extermination Decree!"

"Only a true Confucian Saint can manipulate the Celestial Dao Rules to use such a move! I can’t believe I’m seeing such a technique today!"

From Dragon Halberd and Snake Consort’s perspective,

The character for "Slay" transformed into a colossal, ten-thousand-zhang-tall golden mountain, resembling the Tathagata’s Five Finger Mountain as it descended to suppress the two of them.

Seeing this, the Confucian Dao Cultivators among the Human Race were all moved to comment.

"I’ve read about the Foremost Master’s scene of ’inviting the gentleman into the urn’ in the ancient texts, but I never imagined I would get to see it with my own eyes."

This "inviting the gentleman into the urn" was, in fact, an allusion to a historical event.

One hundred thousand years ago, when the ancestor of the Confucian Dao, Kong Sheng, was alive,

The Human and Demon Races were irreconcilable. A Demon Ancestor led a united army of ten thousand demons to the Border Pass, throwing the common people into a panic.

Just as the Demon Ancestor was about to order the attack, Kong Sheng stood atop the city wall, holding the Spring and Autumn Ancient Books in his left hand and the Spring and Autumn Brush in his right. Seeing the Demon Ancestor, he smiled faintly and said, "Food can never be too fine, nor meat too finely minced. I invite the Demon Ancestor to enter my urn, to be cooked by a raging fire."

The million-strong Demon Race army was enraged. They watched as Kong Sheng raised his brush, causing winds to surge and the world to change color. The Spring and Autumn Brush wrote the character for "Slay" nine times in a row. Each character was a blade, slaying the Demon Ancestor and carving its corpse into ten pieces. Then, Kong Sheng cooked it in public, and his disciples ate the thousand-zhang-long Demon Ancestor, all experiencing a great increase in their Cultivation.

During the cooking, the million-demon army tried to flee. Kong Sheng casually tossed out the Immortal Artifact and Literary Treasure, the Spring and Autumn Ancient Books. A single page blotted out the sky for thirty thousand li, and with a single move, the great book rolled up and annihilated the million demons.

In an instant, all the people knelt in prostration, hailing him as a Saint.

If Kong Sheng were alive today, he could write "Slay" nine times in one breath. Even a Demon Ancestor at the Fifteenth Realm wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Dragon Halberd had been at his current Realm for a thousand years, yet facing this single character for "Slay," he felt an immense pressure weighing down on him like a mountain!

The energy contained within this single word was terrifying beyond measure.

It was comparable to a planet smashing down from beyond the world’s border!

In the Ancient Era, if a star were to crash down from beyond the border, it would have annihilated hundreds of millions of living beings!

And yet, this was a Saint.

BOOM!

A monstrous wave of Profound Yellow Qi surged into the sky, shaking the Nine Heavens.

Dragon Halberd didn’t just wait for death. He mobilized the Bright Candle Treasure Pearl as his body rapidly expanded, growing larger and larger.

"Snake Consort, lend me a hand!"

Breaking through to the Upper Three Grades by any path was a leap in one’s level of existence, allowing one to freely change the size of their Flesh Body.

The stronger one’s Blood Qi, the larger the body they could manifest.

Vigorous Blood Qi continuously erupted from within Dragon Halberd’s body, guiding his draconic form to grow ever larger as if without limit. He clearly intended to use the Heaven and Earth technique to block Qi Xingyan’s attack.

"Alright!"

Snake Consort’s beautiful face had lost its earlier playful demeanor, replaced by a grave seriousness.

She poured all of her Demon Power into her Lifebound Treasure Mirror. The Treasure Mirror then reflected that power and fed it back into Dragon Halberd’s body.

Dragon Halberd’s body began to grow even faster.

From an initial thousand li, it became ten thousand li.

Then thirty thousand li, fifty thousand li...

Finally, it reached a full ninety thousand li!

ROAR!

Having transformed into his true form, a Radiant Black Dragon from the Middle Ages, Dragon Halberd let out a heaven-shaking roar. He was now large enough to look the golden mountain straight on. He raised a massive dragon claw and smashed it toward the character for "Slay"!

GASP!

The Cultivators on the ground, who were like ants in comparison, had never witnessed such a magnificent scene. They all couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Even Lu Mingyuan, who had walked out of the cave clutching his chest, felt his Heart Spirit shaken by this sight, ripples of shock spreading through him.

’If one cannot achieve Immortal Ascension or become a Saint, one will forever be an ant.’

’But with the current state of my Flesh Body, can I still break through to the Martial Saint Realm...?’

At this thought, Lu Mingyuan felt a wave of despair wash over him.

Just as he was thinking this, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Crimson Gold Fate Grid - True Dragon Emperor, Refinement Level increased to 35%]

[Refinement Level at 35%, Life Chart Trait Unlocked - Celestial Protection (Middle Level)]

[Celestial Protection (Middle Level): The life of a True Dragon shall be protected by the heavens. After surviving a calamity, there is a high probability of obtaining an Immortal Level Opportunity.]

As Lu Mingyuan was in a daze,

BOOM!

As the Throne Great Demon and the Confucian Saint battled, the fissure in the center of the mountain range widened further under the shockwaves. It spread both north and south, reaching a width of over seventy meters and splitting the majestic mountain in two.

A large portion of the continuous mountain range at the halfway point collapsed, turning into rubble and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Right at the center of that fissure, a ball of red mist flew out from underground. It pierced through the seven-colored haze of the Ascension Platform and shot straight up.

Within the mist, shimmering scarlet blood flowed like a spring, gushing forth from the earth’s ley lines. Inside the crevice, many crimson, agate-like ores could be seen!

"This is... a lode of Divine Fallen Blood Stone!"

Lu Mingyuan stared at the ley line below, somewhat shocked.

Such a large-scale lode of Divine Fallen Blood Stone was priceless. If it were discovered in the outside world, any faction would fight for it at all costs.

If the local inhabitants had discovered it, they could have established their own Empire.

Lu Mingyuan only recognized what the ores were, but he had overlooked the gushing Blood Spring!

"It’s the Absolute Brewed Blood Spring!"

"Ordinary Divine Fallen Blood Stone that has condensed to the level of Blood Jade is already considered a rarity. But this Absolute Brewed Blood Spring has nurtured a huge amount of ore, which means it’s a Treasure far more potent than Blood Jade."

"Doesn’t that mean it’s a hundred times more powerful than Divine Fallen Blood Jade!"

Hearing the choked cries of many people,

Lu Mingyuan finally understood what this Absolute Brewed Blood Spring signified.

The benefits of Divine Fallen Blood Jade to the Flesh Body were self-evident. It was, after all, the blood of a fallen divine being and could make a Martial Artist’s Flesh Body perfectly flawless.

He himself had absorbed a large amount of Divine Fallen Blood Jade to break through to the Half-step Martial Saint Realm.

If he drank the Absolute Brewed Blood Spring, heaven knows what would happen.

Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but wonder.

’If I drink this Absolute Brewed Blood Spring, can I repair the defects in my Flesh Body?’

’And maybe even go a step further?’

At this thought, a sharp glint gradually appeared in his eyes.

...