Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 623 Old War
"Starry Sky Energy? What is that?"

Zhou Leng described, "This ability is something I discovered on the Great Battlefield... It can help people advance to the Void God realm... I have an item that stores a trace amount of stellar true energy; you can sense it..."

Take out the solar shield and release subtle stellar energy.

The martial saints sensed it for a moment and suddenly understood.

"This stuff is called Starry Sky True Energy, I've absorbed it before..."

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is..." Zhu Shiji suddenly lowered his head slightly, a faint look of sorrow on his face.

The Martial Saints surrounded Zhou Leng and began discussing the True Energy of the Starry Sky.

The crowd started talking all at once, pointing out places where these powers existed.

“I sensed it in the mother tree. The reason the mother tree is so powerful is very likely because it grew up using this ability.”

"It is said that the ancestral land of ferocious beasts also has them."

“I once entered a mysterious trial where this power also existed. No wonder I was able to advance to Martial Saint despite my talent not being as good as theirs…”

"You're being modest again. Your martial arts talent may not be as good, but your hard work and intelligence can make up for your shortcomings, which can be considered a kind of special talent..."

The group discussed it for a long time.

The Starry Sky True Energy System opens a brand new door for martial saints.

Zhou Leng gave each Martial Saint a trace of pure, refined Starry Sky True Energy, which they stored in their dantian to gradually become familiar with. This would make it easier for them to discover and absorb it in the future.

After the discussion, everyone agreed to communicate frequently in the future and thus created a group called "Ancient River Martial Saint".

Zhu Shiji, Chen Shaohuang, Huang Xuange, Li Tianyuan... these world-renowned names appeared in this group just like ordinary people.

Chen Shaohuang is the most ridiculous; his profile picture is a slanted-eyed dog's head, which is an old internet image from who knows how many years ago.

Zhou Leng is the only member who is not a Martial Saint.

After the other martial saints left, Zhu Shiji stayed behind.

As they chatted, they started talking about how amazing the starry sky really is.

Zhu Shiji sighed, "Back then, when Zhao Sheng reached the peak of Martial Saint, he said he could clearly sense a peculiar power. He said that if he could absorb enough power, he could break through the limitations of Martial Saint and advance to the Void God realm..."

"Unfortunately, human resources are limited. He doesn't understand divine script, nor can he extract this power separately, making it difficult to fully master. If he had known the nature of this power earlier, like you, and searched for it decades in advance, perhaps he could have advanced to the Void Saint realm, defied fate, altered destiny, and created a new one..."

"Unfortunately, he failed in the end. If I'm not mistaken, the power he spoke of is the Starry Sky True Energy you mentioned. You know about the Demigod Temple, right?"

"I've heard of it, but not many."

"Demigod-level experts from various races will pay a heavy price to enter the Demon City, and entering another world could very well cost them half their lives. Of course, the price will be less if it's an alliance world. This means that unless the Ten Realms War breaks down the barrier between the two worlds, it will be very difficult for us demigods to leave our respective worlds..."

"The Demigod's Palace is an exception. I don't know what kind of divine artifact it is, but anyone who advances to demigod status, that is, Martial Saint, can sense it and enter. The Demigod's Palace is located in some unknown part of space. Moreover, it frequently changes location, mostly in the endless void, occasionally encountering planets..."

"We demigods or martial saints occasionally venture out to explore. With your Starry Sky True Energy, we'll find a way to collect it from the stars..."

Zhu Shiji suddenly glanced at Zhou Leng and asked, "Your martial arts system relies on the true energy of the starry sky, right?"

Zhou remained silent.

Zhu Shiji smiled slightly, his face exceptionally kind, and slowly said, "Human destiny is a heavy burden. Zhao Sheng entrusted it to us, and we will also hesitate, have selfish thoughts, and... feel fear. After all, this is our first time becoming Martial Saints, and our first time bearing the fate of a planet. However, no matter what, we will continue."

After Zhu Shiji finished speaking, he patted Zhou Leng on the shoulder.

Zhou Leng didn't quite understand, and Zhu Shiji seemed to have something to say, but also seemed unwilling to say it.

That evening, Zhu Shiji had dinner with Zhou Leng and others.

Xu Qingjin and her daughter, as well as Li Linhan and his son, were all extremely excited, and the meal left the four of them feeling incredibly excited.

After all, the people of the Dragon Kingdom grew up listening to stories of martial saints.

Zhu Shiji's fame faded in his old age due to injuries and illnesses, but he participated in many major battles and was Zhao Sheng's capable assistant.

His claim to fame was the nuclear island battle.

After the establishment of martial arts civilization, the Dragon Kingdom and the Eagle Kingdom competed for the new global hegemony.

Neither side wanted to fight on their own territory, so they chose the nuclear island as the battlefield.

At that time, Nuclear Island was occupied by a large number of monsters, but many Nuclear Islanders still survived.

The Dragon Kingdom's Martial Saint Grandmaster, with the strength of his nation, fought against the Martial Saint Grandmasters of the old order nations led by the Eagle Alliance.

The first to fall were the martial arts masters from nuclear islands, South Korea, and small Southeast Asian countries, before the Eagle Alliance warriors took the stage last.

At that time, Zhao Sheng had accumulated a winning streak, and his Great Sun Divine Skill and East Wind Fist had reached their peak. With one punch, he destroyed a Martial Saint of the Eagle Alliance, and the aftershocks tore apart thousands of Eagle Alliance Grandmasters.

The power of the fist dissipates and divides the sea for three hundred miles.

The Eagle Alliance immediately conceded defeat, acknowledged the power of the Dragon Kingdom, redefined its power structure, and withdrew from the Eastern Hemisphere.

The battle on the nuclear island cemented Zhao Sheng's reputation as a man who could settle the world with a single punch.

If the Martial Saint were to unleash his full power, he could shatter the land.

The nuclear island was originally located in a major earthquake zone. After that war, it broke into many pieces, and many places sank. In the places that did not sink, volcanoes erupted frequently.

The last inhabitants of Nuclear Island were forced to flee to the backup nation, South Ba. Now, Nuclear Island's total area is less than one-tenth of its original size, and it has completely fallen under the control of monsters.

On the nuclear island, Zhu Shiji fought for thirteen consecutive days, slaughtering masters from various countries.

Receiving the "Nuclear Island Hero" medal is an extremely high honor in the hearts of the older generation.

After dinner, Li Linhan couldn't resist taking a family photo with Zhu Shiji in it, the six of them together.

After taking the photos, Li Linhan prepared to post them on his WeChat Moments.

He hesitated and revised for half an hour, feeling that whatever he wrote was a bit too high-profile, so he finally added only one line.

"The arrival of the Ten Martial Saints as guests is an honor to our humble abode."

A single photo and a single sentence revealed a large number of Li Linhan's friends.

In less than a night, it garnered hundreds of likes.

Li Linhan was overjoyed, checking the page every now and then, and then "humbly" replying to others.

After Zhu Shiji left, Li Linhan found Zhou Leng.

"Your Uncle Zhao Lianshuo wants to invite you to his house for a meal. I didn't originally intend to trouble you, but... ever since Duanjian was tricked away by the new Zhao family, he's been acting a bit crazy, like..."

"Well, his mental state is just like when he fought against the monsters and the Japanese devils on the nuclear island. He's training like crazy. He even wants to go to Xiong City to get his broken sword back. Now that you're in a different position, talk to him. If he's happy, he might not want to go anymore."

Years ago, Zhao Lianshuo and his comrades helped Zhou Leng financially and also helped Li Linhan on several occasions. They even made an exception to contact the Zhao family for Xue Chengsong. He was a righteous person, and moreover, he was a former subordinate of Zhao Sheng.

"Okay, you can set the time, no problem."

"Bring Xu Qingjin and her daughter along. The old platoon leader is getting old and just likes to see young people."

"it is good."

The next day, Zhou Leng, Xu Qingjin and her daughter, and Li Linhan and his son, a total of five people, went to Zhao Lianshuo's house.

Today was exceptionally lively, with many of Zhao Lianshuo's comrades-in-arms bringing their families, totaling more than forty people, including many children.

Zhou Leng became the focus of the entire event. Several teenagers, from the moment they saw Zhou Leng, either clung to his legs and wouldn't let go, or desperately wanted a hug and would cry if they weren't hugged. Then they would shrink into Zhou Leng's arms and refuse to get down, their mouths agape with laughter.

Older children or young people are too embarrassed to argue with the children, so they just watch from afar with shining eyes.

Once they got to know each other a little better, they all came up to ask for autographs and photos.

Zhou Leng doesn't usually sign autographs, but he didn't refuse to take photos with others.

Several elders who rarely use the internet had heard of Zhou Leng, and seeing the children's reactions, they realized how famous he was online, so they secretly searched for his videos to watch.

The group ate, drank, played, and chatted.

That evening, Zhao Lianshuo, slightly drunk, stood up and looked at everyone.

For some reason, even the children stopped talking and playing and stared at this tall old man.

His face was slightly flushed, and he looked slightly tipsy, yet he exuded a peculiar aura.

Like on a battlefield, wielding a weapon.

Zhao Lianshuo clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone and said, "Every time we meet, I have a special routine: showing off my Zhao Sheng Broken Sword."

“I know some people find it annoying, but others understand that what I’m showing off isn’t the broken sword.”

"Now that the broken sword is gone, I no longer have anything to show off."

"Old Zhao, you've had too much to drink..."

An old comrade-in-arms hurriedly went to pull Zhao Lianshuo away.

Zhao Lianshuo shook off the other person and continued, "The last time I saw Zhao Sheng, he was lying in a hospital bed. I visited him with the broken sword. He stared at the broken sword for a long time and pointed at it."

"He said, 'Keep the broken sword safe. If one day someone wants it back, abandon any illusions and prepare for a fight.'"

“As Zhao Sheng said before, the broken sword, like justice, cannot be begged for; no one will give it to you. You can only fight for it with your life. If one person can't fight for it, then a group of people will fight for it; if one generation can't fight for it, then generations will fight for it. Only by fighting for it can you be considered a human being.”

"Now, someone wants the broken sword back."

"From that day on, I began to cultivate myself anew, abandon illusions, and prepare for struggle."

"I will continue my cultivation until the right time comes, then I will go to Xiong City and reclaim the broken sword."

"Back then, we fought the broken sword from the Japanese devils on the nuclear island, from the Eagle Alliance's artillery fire, and from the demons. Now, we must fight the broken sword from the demonized humans who have fallen into evil."

“I know you mean well and don’t want me to do it, but some things have to be done. You may not understand, but Zhou Leng certainly does. He is fighting for his broken sword.”

Everyone looked at Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng remained calm.

Zhao Lianshuo raised his glass and said, "Today is our last gathering. After today, I will intensify my cultivation to return to my former strength. I don't know what to say; everything is in this drink. Raise your glass! Let us, like Xu Ming said to Zhou Leng, toast to the future of humanity!"

People raised their glasses, some holding wine, others their beverages, clinked them together, and drank them down in one gulp.

The children were confused, but the adults understood Zhao Lianshuo's determination.

(End of this chapter)