Covering the sky: Starting with the holy body, the immortal Taoist comes to attack

Chapter 152 A Hundred Lifetimes in the Mortal World, Transforming into Myriad Methods!
Holy Cliff Dojo.

In the very center of the imperial palace, Gu Xuan is undergoing a mysterious transformation.

As the Heavenly Sacrifice Technique within his body reached its zenith, a celestial cocoon radiating a crystalline white light appeared, as holy as celestial light, completely enveloping his entire body.

This scene bears some resemblance to the transformation of Gu Xuan's chaotic body in his previous life.

But actually.

The true inner self is completely different.

At this point, everything about Gu Xuan became invisible, and even experts of the same level would find it difficult to decipher the mysteries within the immortal cocoon.

And that's not all.

As ancient chants resounded in the central imperial palace, interspersed with grand sacrificial sounds, they seemed to pierce through the eternal ages, drifting in from afar!

It is like an immortal battle song, piercing through the boundless void and conquering all the heavens and myriad worlds.

In the void, there were faint images of celestial beings such as true dragons, divine phoenixes, and vermilion birds, which appeared to be hovering or flying around Gu Xuan. It also seemed that many gods were worshipping him.

of course.

This is not some real scene, but merely a resonance of the great Dao of Heaven and Earth, a manifestation of the rules of the universe.

But without a doubt, this is an absolutely magnificent spectacle that will shake the ages, and also a manifestation of the profound meaning of the Heavenly Emperor's sacrificial ritual!

at last.

The next moment, within the immortal cocoon, Gu Xuan's physical body underwent a great change.

With a loud bang, except for the Sendai area, the rest of his body turned into endless rain of light.

That was endless true blood of the Heavenly Emperor level, each drop of it bright red, crystal clear, and exuding a strange aura.

And the next moment.

This rain of blood burst forth from the immortal cocoon, sprinkling across the myriad realms and the three thousand great worlds.

of course.

The so-called "ten thousand" and "three thousand" are naturally figurative.

The universe is too vast and boundless, with an unimaginable number of star fields, and countless life-bearing planets, ancient lands, or chaotic secret realms. Each one is a different world, home to various powerful races, including humans.

Every drop of Gu Xuan's true blood is an incarnation of him, and also carries a certain proportion of his Dao power.

Guided by some unseen force, almost all of them went to a world inhabited by humans.

Moreover, the level of Dao power embodied by each incarnation was roughly matched to the world they went to, without being much higher.

Even someone as powerful as Gu Xuan today could not possibly possess inexhaustible Dao power; the Dao power allocated to each of his incarnations would be limited.

In fact.

Compared to the vastness of the entire universe, Gu Xuan's billions of incarnations are actually too few.

The stars that are the source of life are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, countless in number.

Compared to him, his incarnations are like tiny grains of sand on an endless beach, capable of changing very little.

He is still far from reaching the realm of the Immortal King, the level where a single consciousness constitutes a vast universe.

It is far from the legendary Immortal Emperor realm, a realm where a single drop of blood can pierce through eternity, and a single glint of light can cut through eternity!

Even the Great Art of Transformation of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, which transforms into billions of drops of blood rain, can reveal the brilliant figure of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor's Great Dao within endless time and space, infinite years, including the endless sea of ​​time and the boundless sea of ​​the universe, and each incarnation is indistinguishable from the true body.

Gu Xuan is still too far removed from these things; he is still on the path of becoming an immortal in the mortal world.

But this is already the limit for Gu Xuan and the present day.

Transform into countless forms!

With countless avatars, they simultaneously travel to countless worlds, experiencing trials in one world after another, going through hundreds and thousands of lifetimes, refining their hearts and cultivating their path in the long river of time, and finally transcending the mortal world.

This is the Nirvana Dharma of Gu Xuan in this lifetime!
It is not the same as the "Great Dream of Eternity" method, but it does have some similarities and draws on it to some extent.

……

Ancient Star of Middle-earth.

This is a small life-originating star, about the same size as the ancient primordial star that is currently sealed.

It is inhabited by humans and other races, and is a relatively common planet in the entire universe.

This day.

A drop of true blood came from the depths of the starry sky, crystal clear, yet dreamlike and illusory, as if it were unreal.

As if sensing the unique life force of the human race on this ancient star, this drop of true blood, as if guided by some mysterious force or attracted like a magnet, headed straight for the ancient star at an extreme speed!
on earth.

The war was over, or to put it more bluntly, it was a period of burning, killing, and looting.

The smoke of battle had just cleared, and countless buildings had collapsed, many still burning.

A temple that should have been magnificent was obviously destroyed by war and burned down. Only a half-destroyed plaque remained, which seemed to read "Rotten Chess Temple".

Even more shocking was the sight of twisted, charred bodies scattered throughout the temple, most of which appeared to be women.

The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh, so strong it made one want to vomit.

After a long time.

People gradually emerged from the wasteland and ruins, their expressions blank, each searching for something edible.

Obviously.

Such events, while causing endless sorrow to the survivors, also seem to have become so commonplace that they have become somewhat indifferent to them.

Since the decline of the Great Zhou Dynasty of the human race, this kind of thing has happened many times...

That drop of true blood flew across the sky and sensed this scene.

His arrival was clearly a bit late; otherwise, he might have been able to do something to mitigate the devastation of this horrific war.

And that's not all.

Like watching a high-definition, three-dimensional film, this drop of true blood also "saw" many other things happening on this land.

Nobles in the capital, starving people in the wilderness, cruel and abusive foreign armies, and the Quanrong tribes ravaging the western frontier...

finally.

The drop of blood flew over the central palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty and then fell down.

But no one on earth noticed it.

next moment.

Gu Xuan, or rather, one of Gu Xuan's many incarnations, opened his eyes.

What comes into view is a typical royal bedroom.

The ground is paved with gold bricks, the jade steps lead to the sky, the beams are carved and painted with phoenixes, and palace maids stand with their heads bowed between the vermilion-lacquered pillars. Glass lamps reflect the dragon-patterned screen.

In the distance, at the city walls and palace gates, golden-armored guards stood solemnly, halberds in hand. As for Gu Xuan himself, his image could be seen in the slightly reflective bronze wall beside him.

He was a young emperor, wearing a purple-gold crown and a golden dragon robe, and he did have a certain heroic air about him.

Judging from his appearance, he was slightly pale, as if he had been depressed for a long time, or perhaps he had been numbing himself with alcohol and women for many years, which led to this condition.

This is what this lifetime is like!
Gu Xuan sighed softly.

Clearly, under the unseen guidance of the main consciousness, his incarnation has replaced the current Zhou king and become the supreme ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Of course, this so-called supreme being is only nominal.

Therefore, the real power of the entire dynasty has long been in the hands of the Sima family, led by the powerful minister Sima Shang.

And that's not all.

In Gu Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness, like scenes from a three-dimensional movie, or like a torrent of information, various information about this land, the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even himself, the King of Zhou, flashed by, including both ancient history and the present.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was the only dynasty established by the human race on this land.

Beyond the borders, there were foreign tribes, including the Quanrong tribe in the west, the Jie tribe in the north, and the barbarian tribes in the southern desert, among others.

It is said that beyond the Eastern Ocean lies a vast continent, inhabited by various ethnic groups or nations, but these groups are far apart and have little interaction with each other.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has existed for over three thousand years. Its founder, Emperor Gaozu of Great Zhou, was not only a brilliant and ambitious emperor, but also a legendary human powerhouse.

He started from scratch, conquering east and west, and was invincible. He defeated many ferocious and tyrannical foreign tribes and built the Great Zhou Dynasty, the most powerful empire on this land in thousands of years, as well as the territory and refuge of the human race.

however.

Even someone as powerful as the Great Zhou Emperor, who reached the pinnacle with the Great Zhou Divine King Technique, was still only a martial artist capable of fighting against about a thousand people.

This is because this is a world in the Dharma-ending Age where the Great Dao is suppressed, and spiritual energy is isolated by layers of chaos, making the various Great Daos invisible, as if it were under some kind of curse.

But the real reason is no longer known.

Perhaps in the distant past, there were terrifyingly powerful beings who could fly and disappear into the earth, but those have become myths and legends, and even the people on this star cannot say whether they actually existed.

Emperor Gaozu of the Great Zhou Dynasty died at around two hundred years old and passed the throne to his grandson, who was also a martial arts master who had mastered the Great Zhou Divine King Technique.

This tradition continued from generation to generation until the generation of King Xuan, who replaced the Zhou king, was the forty-ninth Zhou king.

Unfortunately, by now, most of the power in the dynasty has fallen into the hands of the Sima family, led by the powerful minister Sima Shang, and the King of Zhou is merely a puppet.

You could even say he was a puppet whose life hung by a thread!
Internally, the Sima family was eyeing the throne with covetous intent; everyone said that Sima Shang's intentions were obvious to everyone.

Externally, various foreign tribes invaded, including the Quanrong tribe in the west, the Jie tribe in the north, and the Huang tribe in the southern desert. They constantly plundered the people, and the border areas and even parts of the inland were filled with bloodshed and countless lives lost.

The powerful clans, represented by the Sima family, prioritized their own interests and mostly adopted a policy of appeasement towards foreign tribes on the frontier.

This is easy for them to understand.

Compared to certain major events, the so-called calamities on the frontier are nothing more than a minor ailment, far from being of great importance.

more than this.

In recent years, rumors have been circulating in the capital, claiming that "the Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine, one is hidden, leaving a sliver of hope, this is the variable!"

The meaning is clear: the Zhou dynasty has now passed down to the 49th emperor, and it is time to change dynasties and leave a glimmer of hope for the world!
Some say this is just rhetoric deliberately concocted by the Sima family with the aim of usurping the throne.

However, the Great Zhou Dynasty had been established for thousands of years, and no matter what, the royal family still retained some prestige in the hearts of many people.

This is why, even though the Zhou kings were weak for several generations, the Sima family was still hesitant to act too openly and directly usurp the throne.

This generation of Zhou kings also lacked the bravery of their ancestors, and their cultivation of the Great Zhou Divine King Technique was merely mediocre, with no real progress whatsoever.

In fact.

It wasn't just him; for thousands of years, with the intensification of the Dharma-ending Age, it has become increasingly difficult for true martial arts masters to emerge across the entire land. A warrior capable of defeating a thousand men, like the Great Zhou Emperor, now only exists in legends.

The contemporary Zhou king may have realized this long ago, and given that he lacked any great talent or strategy and was unlikely to turn the tide, he chose to give up early on.

Perhaps he had felt resentful, perhaps he had wanted to struggle, and occasionally, when he saw the tragic state of the people on the frontier in the memorials, he felt heartbroken.

But in the end, he chose to give up and numb himself.

Adhering to the principle of living day to day, he enjoyed every day he lived, indulging in fine wine and beautiful women, living a life of debauchery.

Until the arrival of Gu Xuan's drop of true blood, or rather, his incarnation.

Along with this came a wisp of Gu Xuanzhu's consciousness, which directly erased this generation's Zhou King. Then, under the urging of the Zhezi Secret, that drop of true blood regenerated and replaced the Zhou King.

This process may be somewhat cruel.

But that is the reality, and the fate of those border peoples who were harmed by foreign tribes was even more tragic.

As for the war disaster that Gu Xuan saw when he arrived at this ancient star, it was actually related to the Sima family and the invasion of foreign races.

The Quanrong tribe from the west invaded, rampaging and sweeping all before them, almost reaching the outskirts of the Great Zhou capital.

In this critical moment, General Sima Shang and others urgently contacted the Jie tribe, who were originally servants of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and requested their military assistance.

Due to years of war and the weakened national strength, coupled with the constant coercion and enticement from the Jie people, the imperial court granted the Jie people's request.

That is, after defeating the Quanrong tribe, let the Jie tribe plunder Luocheng, which is known as the Western Capital.

Such a decision naturally provoked opposition during a secret internal court meeting, with representatives of the Qingliu faction vehemently opposing it.

However, General Sima Shang was always ruthless and decisive, and his word was law. He silenced the two or three upright officials with just a few words.

“If our Great Zhou does not borrow troops from the Jie tribe, then there are only three possibilities for the Jie tribe.”

"The first option is to take the initiative to attack the Quanrong tribe, or to remain neutral."

"The second option is to take advantage of the chaos and plunder the northern part of the dynasty, even if they can't seize the territory."

"The third option is to unite with the Quanrong tribe to deal with the Great Zhou."

"Which one do you think is most likely? I personally think the first one is unlikely. Since that's the case, we have to choose the lesser of two evils!"

"It can only make the people of Luocheng suffer, and we will bear the blame. Moreover, the fact that the Jie tribe has sided with our Great Zhou will boost the morale of the Great Zhou army and deal a blow to the Quanrong tribe. Their mutual attrition will also benefit the future of Great Zhou."

"If the Jie tribe were to fight a few battles with the Quanrong tribe and establish enmity, it would block their retreat from uniting against the Great Zhou."

This was the opinion of Sima Shang, a burly and ruthless general, during a secret internal court meeting.

Of course, these words are unlikely to get out.

"Can't we use money instead?" a minister from the Qingliu faction suggested, his face ashen.

This was naturally rejected immediately by the Minister of Revenue, who said, "The imperial army is already running out of supplies, where would we find any surplus wealth to supply the Jie people?"

Thus, the resolution was finally approved, and in the name of this Zhou king, the request of the Jie tribe was granted.

Ultimately, after the Quanrong rebellion was repelled, the Jie tribe launched a three-day campaign of burning, killing, and plundering in Luocheng.

Many young women sought refuge in the towers and pavilions of temples such as Lankesi and Shengshansi outside the city. The Jie people set fire to the temples, and the fire raged for more than ten days, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

This is one of the tragic scenes of war that Gu Xuan sensed with that drop of blood.

(End of this chapter)