Daqin Zhentiansi

"Your Majesty," Daoist Yunmiao bowed, his aged voice filled with excitement, "the celestial signs reveal that an ancient star shines upon the world, a sign of the revival of the divine path!"

"This aura is pure and powerful, and it is naturally in harmony with the destiny of my Great Qin Dynasty."

Su Jing stepped forward, his voice steady as iron: "Undoubtedly confirmed. This is an auspicious sign of the Great Qin's prosperity and the mandate of heaven! However, the divine path is newly established and still needs guidance and consolidation."

"Your subject and the Imperial Censor have calculated that the army that has been conquering the East Sea will soon return in triumph, bringing with it immeasurable achievements and good fortune in the seas."

"Your Majesty, we humbly request that on the day the Eastern Sea army returns home, you use the vast national fortune as a guide to bestow titles upon the true gods of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers! The extraordinary phenomena that will be triggered at that time will shake the world, allowing the foundation of the divine way to be deeply rooted in the territory of our Great Qin, and to be used by us!"

The emperor's eyes gleamed: "Excellent! When the East China Sea fleet returns, proclaim to the world that I will personally perform the sacrificial ceremony to bestow divine titles upon the gods! May the divine way of my Great Qin Dynasty once again revive the glory of the ancient Xia Dynasty!"

Eastern Wei Dynasty, Imperial Study.

The candlelight was dim, illuminating the sinister and twisted face of Emperor Yuwen Tuo of Wei.

On the table was a secret report that had just been presented regarding the revival of the Great Qin Divine Path. Every word and sentence was like a hot branding iron, making him uneasy.

"The revival of the divine way? The true gods of mountains and rivers?" Yuwen Tuo's voice was like grinding sand, filled with disbelief and deep-seated jealousy. "Zhang Yuan! It's that Zhang Yuan again! How dare he, how worthy he is?!"

Below the steps, several other immortal cultivators, each possessing an impressive aura, also wore grim expressions.

An elderly man with fiery red hair and beard, dressed in the robes of a Tian Dan Sect elder, frowned and said, "Your Majesty, this is the favor of the Heavenly Dao, and cannot be stopped by ordinary means."

"The spirit of the mountain god is attached to the origin of heaven and earth. It is not only difficult to seize it by force, but it may also backfire on oneself. Although my Heavenly Pill Sect has the art of controlling puppets and exorcising ghosts, it is difficult to find a good solution when facing the divine foundation of a state that was officially conferred by imperial decree.

On the other side, a Taoist priest dressed in a martial robe had an ancient longsword humming behind him. His face was stern: "The aura of the divine path is upright and in harmony with heaven and earth. Forcibly cutting it is no different from splitting mountains and rivers."

"The power of us sword cultivators is like splitting a rock in mid-air, finding no foothold. The only way is to cut off its source and eliminate Zhang Yuan as soon as possible!"

On the other side, the Taoist priest with runes swirling around him also shook his head and sighed, the talismans on his fingertips flickering: "The art of talismans is also difficult to lock the source of the spirit, unless a supreme formation that can drain the spiritual veins of an entire land is set up, but such a heaven-defying act is extremely costly and causes a great disturbance, making it difficult to succeed."

The worshippers recounted their stories one by one, and the content was largely the same.

Nothing can be done.

Yuwen Tuo's face grew increasingly gloomy, like the sky before a storm.

He waved away these "useless" offerings, leaving only himself and the flickering candlelight in the hall.

As the palace doors closed, a twisted, blurry black shadow, exuding pure evil and ancient demonic intent, seemed to seep out from the deepest shadows of the walls and slowly coalesced beside Yuwen Tuo's dragon throne.

"Your Majesty," a voice, like the combined wails of countless wronged souls, rang out, carrying a bewitching magic, "the magic of immortals cannot reach the origin of the divine path, but... the demonic path is not necessarily impossible."

Yuwen Tuo's pupils constricted sharply as he stared at the twisted, demonic figure: "Speak!"

The demonic shadow chuckled: "The foundation of the divine path lies in the spirits of mountains and waters, and also in the spiritual imprint gathered from the offerings of all people."

"These slumbering deities are like half-dead 'spirits'."

"To enslave them, you must suppress their instinctive resistance with absolute power, and you must also use blood as a catalyst to imprint your demonic soul mark!"

"Bloodline?" Yuwen Tuo's eyes were sharp as knives.

"Exactly!" The demonic voice was filled with cruel excitement. "And it's a bloodline connected to our blood, containing the essence of dragon energy!"

"Using your royal bloodline as the catalyst, we will conduct a grand blood sacrifice! We will use their blood and souls as fuel to ignite a demonic fire that forges their spirits!"

"The moment you awaken those slumbering deities is also the moment when they are most vulnerable and instinctively closest to the aura of bloodline. By forcibly suppressing the imprint with your demonic soul, you can transform them into the Mountain Lord Demon under your control!"

Abandoning royal bloodline...

Yuwen Tuo's heart pounded violently, and a hint of madness and struggle flashed deep in his eyes, but it was quickly overwhelmed by boundless ambition and hatred.

His gaze finally turned utterly cold and resolute, and a ferocious smile spread across his lips: "As long as I can control this divine power and enslave the gods and demons of my Wei realm, what does it matter if I pay a small price!"

……

The border between Qi and Wei.

Tianyu Town.

Once a no-man's-land serving as a buffer zone between Qi and Wei, this town is now completely under the control of 30,000 Qin troops from the eastern border.

A somber atmosphere and order have replaced the chaos of the past.

Zhang Yuan's black carriage, led by several elite guards, steadily drove into the town shrouded in the afterglow of dusk.

The horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs.

Shops on both sides of the street were closed, and there were no pedestrians. There was a chilling silence, with only the bleak wind swirling fallen leaves around the street corner.

The air still retained the lingering smell of blood and gunpowder from that brutal purge.

"coming!"

"Do it!"

The deathly silence was shattered in an instant by several suppressed shouts!
"Whoosh whoosh-!"

From the shadows of the rooftops and window frames on both sides of the street, a dense barrage of poisoned crossbow bolts, arrows burning with eerie phosphorescent flames, and several powerful magical beams capable of piercing heavy armor rained down on the black carriage in the center of the street with a piercing whistling sound!

The target is Luo Hongxiu on the carriage shaft!

However, almost at the same instant the attack was launched, the space around the carriage suddenly distorted!

"Zhentian!"

The deep, rhythmic roar seemed to come from underground!
Dozens of figures clad in black fish-scale armor and wearing ferocious Bixie masks appeared like ghosts from street corners, under eaves, and even in the shadows near carriages!
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and the dark shields in their hands suddenly expanded, opening and closing as if they were alive!
Countless intricate and complex seal characters lit up on the shield, intertwining with each other. With a "hum," they condensed above the carriage into a huge, semi-circular light shield that flowed with dark runic light!
“Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!”

"Boom!"

Arrow rain, talisman fire, and magical light, like raging waves crashing against steel reefs, exploded on the light shield with countless brilliant but futile sparks and energy ripples!

The light shield trembled violently, and the runes flickered, yet it remained as firm as a rock, blocking the first wave of devastating sneak attacks!

The secret guards of the Heavenly Guard!

As the deputy head of the Great Qin Heavenly Guard, acting as its commander, how could Zhang Qingyang possibly be without guards? "Charge in! Kill Zhang Qingyang!"

At the end of the street, a brutal roar resounded!

Dozens of figures dressed in various colors, yet exuding a powerful aura, surged forward like a raging tide, trampling on the roof tiles!
Leading the charge were several renowned experts from the Wei Kingdom, their fist imprints and palm strikes tearing through the air, their fierce energy about to burst forth!
"Form ranks, arrowheads!"

At the command of the Dark Guard Commander, more than a dozen Dark Guards of the Heavenly Guards advanced instead of retreating, instantly breaking free from the protection of the light barrier and rushing forward like sharp arrows against the tide!

Their formation appeared loose, yet it contained hidden mysteries. Their energy was interconnected, and their movements were as swift as ghosts. The poisoned daggers in their hands were like the spitting of venomous snakes, not seeking to injure the enemy, but only to entangle and delay them!

A violent shockwave exploded through the narrow street, causing buildings to collapse and smoke to billow everywhere!

The guards, fearless and resolute, managed to hold off the group of martial arts experts for several breaths with their exquisite teamwork and selfless obstruction!

However, the real killer moves are not from these martial arts experts!
"call out--!"

A tiny, almost imperceptible ripple of space appeared eerily above the carriage!
As if teleported, a figure shrouded in a hazy mist, with an aura as restrained as an abyss, suddenly appeared!
Grandmaster of the Free and Unfettered Realm!
Supreme Elder of the Eastern Wei Water Moon Sword Sect!
His timing was impeccable, perfectly timed, just as Luo Hongxiu flicked her sleeve to deflect the two talisman attacks!
A fierce glint flashed in the old man's eyes. In his hand, a longsword as thin as a spider's thread, yet exuding a chilling aura and the ability to cut through space, was swiftly thrust towards the heavy, dark carriage curtain without the slightest hint of malice.

This sword strike was fast, unpredictable, and ruthless!
It embodies his life's cultivation, contains the ultimate softness and poison of water, and utilizes the power of some kind of teleportation treasure to bypass all external defenses and strike the core of the target!

He wanted to kill Zhang Yuan inside the train carriage with a single sword strike!
On the carriage shaft, Luo Hongxiu's cold eyes looked at the sword blade thrusting down from the top of the carriage. Her slender fingers twitched slightly, and a few barely perceptible silver streams of light swirled around her fingertips.

However, just as she was about to make her move—

Inside the carriage, a very faint sigh escaped, carrying a hint of... understanding.

The thin carriage curtain moved on its own even without wind!
Behind the curtain, two fingers with distinct knuckles, as if carved from white jade, suddenly peeked out!
There was no earth-shattering momentum, no dazzling brilliance.

Those two fingers, seemingly slow, precisely touched the thin, deadly tip of the sword when it was only an inch away from the curtain!
"Ding--"

A clear, resounding clang, like the shattering of glass, echoed through the sky!
The strange longsword that embodied the lifelong cultivation of the Free and Unfettered Master was struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer the moment two fingers lightly touched it!
The sharp, concentrated energy on the sword, powerful enough to cut through diamond, instantly collapsed!

Then, the tip of the sword!

Sword blade!

Sword hilt!

Like porcelain, it shattered inch by inch along the point where the two fingers touched!
It turned into a cloud of metallic powder shimmering with a cold, eerie blue light!
The spirit within the sword wailed and vanished into thin air!

The Supreme Elder of the Water Moon Sword Sect was filled with unparalleled shock, as if he had seen the most incredible sight in the world!
An overwhelming force, tracing straight to its source and containing the pulse of the earth and the power of towering mountains, surged forth from the shattered hilt of the sword, like an ancient god awakening, and rushed into his arm, body, and even soul without any obstruction!
"puff!"

He didn't even have time to react, let alone escape.

His entire body was like a piece of rotten wood struck by a needle, turning into dust inch by inch, starting from his arms. Even his last horrified scream was completely annihilated by that silent yet overwhelming power!
A living, breathing master at the peak of the Free and Unfettered Realm was annihilated without a trace, his body and soul vanished, with just a flick of two fingers, right before everyone's eyes!
Only a pure and powerful energy, nurtured by heaven and earth, quietly returned to all directions, causing the earth to hum softly!

This single gesture, seemingly casual and effortless, was nonetheless earth-shattering!

inside the carriage.

Zhang Yuan slowly withdrew his two fingers, which seemed to have crushed time and dust.

The closing of his eyes was not to ignore the surrounding carnage, but rather because his divine sense resonated with this land that had just been conferred and awakened, and which had become vibrant with life due to the return of the mountain god.

Shattering a longsword with one's finger is not a matter of brute force.

That was the crucial step he finally took after meditating on the principles of Confucianism and Taoism in the Spring Mountain Painting, honing his martial arts on the battlefield, and sensing the pulse of the mountain and river's spiritual veins the moment he awakened the Mountain God!
A sense of enlightenment flowed through my heart.

What appears to be a casual flick of the finger actually embodies the power of the entire body's muscles and bones, the power of the dragon and elephant suppressing the prison, the power of the evil spirits taking form, and even the power of the mountains and rivers behind him!

Lifting a fallen leaf is like carrying a ten-thousand-foot mountain!
This is the pinnacle of power control!
The principles of Confucianism, Taoism, and the laws of nature, combined with the ink and seal script, are not only imbued with power with a light touch of the fingertip, but also seem to be carving the invisible ancient seal script character "镇" (zhen, meaning "to suppress") in the void!

It draws upon the righteous energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into a talisman that instantly disintegrates the "evil" and "wicked" intent within the sword!

Borrowing the power of heaven and earth, we shatter the illusions of all laws!
Divine understanding leads to the natural way.

The mountain god's decree was not for enslavement, but for obedience!

At this moment, he felt an unbreakable bond with this land blessed by the gods.

The enemy is not the mountain itself, but the vast land and rivers, and the way of Heaven!
He, Zhang Yuan, acted on behalf of the Qin Dynasty and upheld justice on behalf of Heaven and Earth!

Slaying evil spirits and giving back to heaven and earth is not an act of killing, but a virtuous deed!

Therefore, the power of heaven and earth can be used to help him break through his current realm!
"Boom!"

The moment his mind cleared, it felt as if the shackles within Zhang Yuan's body had suddenly snapped!
Within his dantian, the Grandmaster's aura, which had long reached its peak, surged like a boiling volcano!

Two million Qi Pearls, one million and eighty thousand Heavenly Dao Golden Pearls, and a golden dragon-elephant body shattered with a deafening roar.

Under the blessing of divine will and the power of mountains and rivers, everything collapsed like a nebula, bursting forth with light that tore the universe apart!
Bottleneck? It no longer exists!
"Roar--!"

A roar that seemed to come from the primordial era of dragons and elephants exploded from Zhang Yuan's body, but it did not escape from the carriage!

Above his head, three illusory canopies suddenly materialized in the void.

A crimson hue, with blood and qi surging like a lava volcano, is the true form of the Dragon Elephant, cultivated to the extreme in martial arts!

A layer of profound blue, the righteous energy transforms into blooming blue lotuses, the ink flow and engraves the heavens and earth, the realm of a grandmaster of Confucianism and Taoism!
A layer of earthy yellow, with the illusory shadows of mountains and rivers flowing around, carrying the vast divinity of suppressing and nurturing all things, a glimpse into the original secret realm blessed by the divine way!
The three canopies intertwined and merged, forming a chaotic divine light that illuminated the entire interior of the carriage, making it resemble a divine palace!
He took a step forward!
Achieving physical sainthood, a grandmaster of martial arts!

Grand Master of Confucianism and Taoism!
It carries the nascent divine essence!

His divine soul power directly entered the fourth level of the Grandmaster's Dao Inquiry Realm!

"You lowly wretch, how dare you obstruct the wheels of Qin?" Zhang Yuan's icy voice, like a divine pronouncement, resounded clearly across the chaotic battlefield for the first time.

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out all the shouts and explosions, clearly penetrating the depths of the souls of every assassin!

Zhang Yuan's figure finally came into everyone's view.

His black marquis robe fluttered in the wind, two swords hung at his waist, and his body moved without wind. The scattered energy spread outward like tangible ripples, easily crushing the approaching soldiers into blood mist!
His face was calm, his eyes like those of a god looking down on ants, surveying the chaotic battlefield with disdain.

"kill--"

Zhang Yuan's appearance ignited the climax of the ambush. (End of Chapter)