Free Web NovelChapter 474: Chapter 285: Yun Qinghe of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Leading the Celestial Masters of the Taoist Sect, Comes to Great Yan
Whether in the Central Plains World or the Holy Netherworld, it was human nature to worship the strong. And Lu Mingyuan’s strength had reached a point where it commanded the respect and fear of all Cultivators.
Previously, when the New Emperor of Great Yan had boasted he would fight everyone and destroy the Six Kingdoms single-handedly, most factions had dismissed him as arrogant and conceited. But now, the combat prowess Lu Mingyuan had unleashed was so astounding that it had thoroughly convinced them, beating them into submission.
It beat them so badly they began to doubt themselves, wondering if they should have ever questioned the legitimacy of the Great Yan Celestial Mandate.
It seemed only natural that the strong should possess everything.
And all of this was precisely what Lu Mingyuan needed to achieve according to the hexagrams.
From the looks of it, he had indeed succeeded.
And only he, Lu Mingyuan, could have done it.
In the Wilderness Cave Heaven, many of the Six Nations’ Pride had indeed entered the Middle Fifth Grade, reaching the Eighth or Ninth Realm of Cultivation.
But over the past year, their Realms had not advanced nearly as quickly as Lu Mingyuan’s.
Even with the blessing of the Five-Colored Divine Lotus and the boost from Celestial Destiny and Fortune, which allowed them to advance their Cultivation and break through Realms directly, they were still no match for Lu Mingyuan.
Without the Celestial Destiny and Fortune, some from the Six Kingdoms might still be stuck at their original Realms, tormented by bottlenecks, and would have never even had the chance to face Lu Mingyuan.
High in the heavens, from the direction of the Great Sui Dynasty, a vast and mighty immortal might surged forth, turning a large swath of the bright, brilliant firmament the color of the night sky.
The immortal might rushed toward Cao Zongxi.
Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan withdrew his gaze from the "World’s Pride" Fate Grid and retreated into the distance.
It was the Bright Moon Immortal. He wanted to preserve Cao Zongxi’s Flesh Body in order to resurrect him.
No matter how unwilling he was, the current Lu Mingyuan could not make an enemy of the Bright Moon Immortal, who was in the Human Immortal Realm. He had no way to contend with someone of the Upper Three Grades.
But just then, from the other side of the sky, amid clouds glowing with purple light, a jade-like hand reached out and blocked the immortal might, pushing it back.
A Dharma Aspect of a bright moon appeared in the sky, rising slowly. The Bright Moon Immortal himself stopped, riding the wind, his wide sleeves fluttering. His immortal bearing was on full display as he stood upon a sapphire-blue Ancient Ship. His voice, ethereal, spoke coolly:
"This all ends here. Does Great Yan truly intend to bully others with its power?"
The Bright Moon Immortal’s indifferent words were clearly filled with rage.
The owner of the jade-like hand sounded calm, almost amused. "This was a fair duel. How can you call it bullying?"
Lu Mingyuan looked up at the sky and finally recognized the master of the purple, glowing clouds.
It was the head of the Ziwei Immortal Sect, Celestial Lady Ziwei.
He knew that not all the great powers—the Thirty-Six Confucian Temples and Schools, the Seventy-two Saints, the Saints who had become stone statues, the masters of the Daoist Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and the Blessed Land Cave Heavens—stood on his side.
Only a very select few were on good terms with Great Yan.
Among those Sects that once had good relations, many had chosen to leave Great Yan, abandoning their ancestral halls and temples within the Great Yan Dynasty to start anew elsewhere.
The Purple Sun Palace, for example.
Lu Mingyuan didn’t know what benefits the Great Sui Dynasty had used to buy off the Purple Sun Palace, but he wasn’t concerned about the departure of such a fickle faction.
The Sects that remained, still willing to support Great Yan, had undoubtedly proven their loyalty in times of adversity.
These included, but were not limited to: the Taiwei Daoist Sect, the Ziwei Immortal Sect, the Celestial Master’s Mansion, the Fuyao Sword Palace, and the Tai Cang Grotto Heaven.
Lu Mingyuan had an impression of these few powerful houses.
Celestial Lady Ziwei was also a Great Power of the Upper Three Grades. Her strength and status were equivalent to a Buddhist Sect Bodhisattva or a Confucian Temple Saint in the Venerable Saint Realm. Her strength was likely at the Thirteenth Realm.
As for this Bright Moon Immortal, he was more or less on the same level as Celestial Lady Ziwei.
RUMBLE!
The Cultivators below looked up at the turbulent sky, their hearts filled with unease.
In reality, a fierce argument had already broken out in the sky above.
"A fair duel, you say."
"Today, I, this humble Daoist, will insist on protecting Cao Zongxi’s body."
A Daoist wearing a Purple Gold Crown and a brown crane Daoist robe appeared, his black beard fluttering beneath his chin. He carried a black duster, his expression disdainful.
Across the sky, Celestial Lady Ziwei frowned upon hearing this. "Zhenyuanzi? What benefits did you receive from the Great Sui Dynasty?"
"Don’t tell me they promised to make your Five Elements Daoist Temple their National Religion?"
The Observatory Master and Sect Leader of the Five Elements Daoist Temple was Zhenyuanzi, a figure renowned throughout the entire Central Plains World.
According to legend, there were two extraordinary Treasures within the Five Elements Daoist Temple in the Longevity Grotto Heaven. To obtain either one was to undergo Transcendence and become a dragon.
The first was the Ginseng Fruit Tree. This tree was a Heaven and Earth Spirit Root with an extremely long cycle for flowering and bearing fruit. In ten thousand years, it had produced no more than a hundred fruits. This item could not only extend one’s lifespan but also reshape a Cultivator’s fundamental aptitude. Even someone born without any talent for Cultivation could be transformed into a genius.
If an ordinary genius consumed one, they could cultivate the Five Elements Saint Body, advance their aptitude even further, and step across the threshold of Immortal Ascension. It was a Treasure that Qi Cultivators dreamed of obtaining.
The second was the Enlightenment Tea Tree. It had been personally planted by the founder of the Five Elements Daoist Temple, Wanshou Celestial Venerable, and was nourished by the temple’s ten thousand years of Destiny, granting it the power to aid in comprehending the Dao.
Anyone who encountered a bottleneck and found their Cultivation stagnated would, after drinking tea made from this tree’s leaves, feel their mind expand and their spirit refresh. Their inner vision would become clear, and their cultivation problems would resolve themselves.
A single chest of these tea leaves could be exchanged for three Immortal Family Mountains and was nearly impossible to buy, even with a fortune in gold.
Celestial Lady Ziwei couldn’t understand what kind of offer a Dynasty from such a remote and desolate land could possibly make to move a figure of this stature.
Generally speaking, the Five Elements Temple’s stance had always been neutral.
It did not participate in the struggles of Human Dynasties. If it ever did, it was certainly because of some kind of deal.
