Free Web NovelChapter 478: Chapter 287: The Reckoning from Great Yan: If We Can’t Agree, Then We Fight
Lu Mingyuan’s words caused the gazes of many representatives from the smaller nations, as well as Qi Cultivators and Martial Artists, to fall upon him. Their eyes held a mixture of fear, awe, and even fervor.
That’s right—fervor.
Among the many people present, some forces and Cultivators had already seared Lu Mingyuan’s performance into their minds. They saw him as a role model for all Martial Artists in the world, filled with immense admiration for the power he had displayed today.
If a person with no power and no accomplishments dared to make such outrageous claims, it would be nothing but arrogance and ignorance.
But if they could back it up, it was dominance and confidence.
In their eyes, the Lu Mingyuan of today was clearly the latter.
They were all intensely curious to see how Lu Mingyuan would settle accounts with the Six Kingdoms.
Li Muwan gazed at Lu Mingyuan, who stood atop a boulder on the valley’s peak about ten meters away. She frowned and said in a low voice,
"Lu Mingyuan, the battle is over."
"You’ve already won, and we are all willing to withdraw our forces. Why must you be so aggressive?"
She had never imagined that Lu Mingyuan would still dare bring this up, even now.
"Me, aggressive?"
Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but laugh at her words.
"Then let me ask you, who was responsible for starting this war in the first place?"
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Luo Lingxiao.
In his view, this grand confrontation of the Seven Kingdoms was undoubtedly initiated by this new king of the Golden Crow Country.
If the Golden Crow Country hadn’t been the first to plot against Jiayu Pass, employing a diversion while launching a surprise attack—a plot he had uncovered through Turtle Shell Divination—the borders of Great Yan would likely have already fallen into enemy hands.
If the other kingdoms had then rushed to their aid, the current situation would be unthinkable.
They had tried to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the few, but instead, they were the ones taught a lesson by Great Yan.
’And now they know to run?’
The attitude of the Six Kingdoms toward Great Yan had shifted from initial disdain to present-day fear. However, there was still a long way to go before that fear could evolve into reverence and respect.
"Lu Mingyuan, what do you want?" Wuxun asked, his voice dark and his eyes smoldering as he suppressed his fury.
He was clearly not resigned to today’s defeat.
The Silver Frost Empire had bided its time and hidden its strength for so long, yet it still couldn’t defeat Great Yan. He refused to accept this outcome.
"I’ve already told you. Hand over your Celestial Destiny and Fortune."
Lu Mingyuan’s attitude was unyielding, his tone indifferent.
"Does that mean we must fight to the death today?"
Cao Zongxi and Chu Longxiang had been the first to fall.
Of the leaders of the Six Kingdoms, Luo Lingxiao, Li Muwan, Song Guangyao, and Wuxun were the only ones who remained on the battlefield.
In Lu Mingyuan’s eyes, taking their so-called Celestial Destiny and Fortune was a simple matter.
He just needed to use his Python and Sparrow Swallowing Dragon Fate Grid to devour all the Destiny on them.
But in the eyes of these young leaders, being stripped of their Celestial Destiny and Fortune was no different from being cut off from the great Dao of cultivation for the rest of their lives.
It meant becoming nothing more than an unremarkable nobody.
Each of these chosen ones was blessed, to varying degrees, by Celestial Destiny and Fortune. Every single one of them had received an immense boost from it.
That was precisely why they had the confidence to move against Great Yan.
The rapid growth of their Cultivation was also due to this reason.
Otherwise, with their innate talent alone, how could they possibly compare to Lu Mingyuan?
Lu Mingyuan’s reason for being so desperate to obtain Celestial Destiny and Fortune was simple.
He had to use it to resurrect Qi Xingyan.
The Ascension Platform would be used to reconstruct the Flesh Body.
And Celestial Destiny and Fortune could be used to reconstruct the Divine Soul.
Celestial Destiny and Fortune would also be of great help to him personally.
Lu Mingyuan had once, within the Picture World of the Grand Thousand Canglan Map, found the method for a Martial Artist to break through to the Upper Three Grades.
It was to use Destiny to shatter one’s shackles.
In his first life, he had used this very method to step one foot through the gates of the Martial Saint Realm.
Celestial Destiny and Fortune was the key for him to charge into the Martial Saint Realm.
Seeing Lu Mingyuan’s unyielding stance, the expressions of the various kingdoms’ Tributors turned grave.
For instance, there was Jiang Shan, who had manifested his Buddha’s Golden Body.
There was Yao Longchuan, the First-Class Tributor of Great Wu, whose Martial Dao Body was as majestic as a mountain.
There was Nanli the Elder Sword Saint, who wielded the Immortal Sword Li Huang.
There was the great Military Family Cultivator from the Song Dynasty, holding a Sword Array Tiger Talisman.
And the disciple of the Legalist Family from the Golden Crow Country...
The Elder Sword Saint’s eyes narrowed. "This is too much! Even if Lu Mingyuan won, it doesn’t mean my Nanli Dynasty will fear Great Yan."
The Elder Sword Saint seemed about to continue his harsh words, but Li Muwan stopped him with a look. She then earnestly sent a voice transmission to Lu Mingyuan: "The Nanli Dynasty is willing to continue paying tribute to Great Yan. Furthermore, we will offer one hundred unclaimed Blessed Mountain Peaks. Can we ask the Emperor of Great Yan to retract his command?"
The other dynasties’ representatives revealed shocked expressions upon hearing Li Muwan’s offer.
They never expected Li Muwan to put forth such terms.
What did one hundred mountain peaks represent?
One had to understand that for the Three Religions’ Influence, for temples and Sects, establishing themselves required territory.
Such territory, generally a mountain peak, had to be purchased from a Human Dynasty.
One hundred mountain peaks meant that a hundred Sects could be established.
It could give rise to countless Cultivators!
The strength of a Dynasty was determined by the number and combat power of its Cultivators.
Even for the currently flourishing Nanli Dynasty, giving away so many treasured lands would be a painful loss.
Li Muwan’s offer could be said to be very sincere.
But to everyone’s surprise, Lu Mingyuan, standing on the mountain peak, simply shook his head.
"No."
The moment he said this, the expressions of everyone around him changed once more.
Lu Mingyuan stated coolly, "First, the Nanli Dynasty is already one of the nations that pays tribute to my Great Yan. Second, while a hundred mountain peaks may seem like a lot, in reality, is it not far less than the benefits that Celestial Destiny and Fortune brings to your Nanli?"
Celestial Destiny and Fortune provides a massive boost to a Dynasty, meaning the overall quality of its Cultivators would rise by an entire level.
And what was a hundred mountain peaks worth in comparison?
Seeing even Li Muwan’s earnest plea rejected by Lu Mingyuan further enraged the Cultivators from the other six kingdoms.
"Lu Mingyuan, don’t you push it!"
"Don’t you dare think my Great Sui Dynasty is afraid of you!"
"My Golden Crow Country has the support of a Sword Immortal now! Times have changed. Do you still think your Great Yan is the same Great Yan from three years ago?"
Thus, the remote negotiation between the Great Yan Dynasty, led by Lu Mingyuan, and the Heroes of the Central Plains, led by the Six Kingdoms, had fallen apart before it even began.
Everyone believed that the Great Yan of today did not have what it takes to become the Sovereign of the World. In terms of national strength, it couldn’t even compare to the era of Emperor Yong’an.
The fact that they weren’t causing trouble for Great Yan was, in their minds, already a huge concession.
Simply put, they still believed that Great Yan’s newly ascended Emperor Longyuan was too inexperienced and the nation’s power was insufficient.
They were certain that the current Great Yan would not dare to wage a true, all-out war against the Six Kingdoms.
Seeing the Six Kingdoms’ fierce resistance, Lu Mingyuan’s reaction was placid.
This was supposed to be a negotiation on how to deal with the Six Kingdoms—a set of terms or demands from the victor to the vanquished.
He felt that, as the victor, he had already adopted a very humble posture.
But instead, the vanquished were acting more like the victors, complaining and whining before the talks even started.
Lu Mingyuan’s wide, dragon-embroidered sleeves billowed in the wind. With an indifferent expression, he took a step forward and said:
"Then let’s fight."
After these words were spoken, the thousand-zhang-tall Blazing Fire Gluttonous Human-shaped Dharma Body suddenly changed its form.
Two more arms sprouted from beneath its armpits, each wielding a Thunderbolt Long Saber. Thunder boomed, reverberating through the clouds.
The sight was horrifying for all who witnessed it.
"Then let’s fight!"
Seeing Lu Mingyuan give the word, everyone from Great Yan’s side stepped forward in unison.
Saintess Ziwei, Taiwei True Monarch, Fairy Ci Hang Sui Yuqing, Yun Qinghe of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Champion Marquis Huo Qing, the Sword Holder of Fuyao Sword Palace, various Daoist Sword Cultivators, and even veteran generals and Marquises from the army—all unleashed their auras in a direct confrontation.
They would let all the kingdoms under heaven know that Great Yan was not full of cowards. It was not that they didn’t dare to fight.
If we can’t talk it out, then let’s fight.
Those three simple words carried the most weight only when spoken by Lu Mingyuan.
Overpowering the heroes and with a great surge of momentum, you have triggered the "True Martial" trait. Your Cultivation has drastically increased, and you have reached Celestial Human Realm Perfection.
At that moment, a line of text appeared before Lu Mingyuan.
The aura around his body surged.
After absorbing the Destiny of Cao Zongxi and Chu Longxiang, he had already felt the premonition of breaking into a new Realm.
Now, that feeling was growing even more intense.
He felt as if he was about to touch the edge of the Martial Saint Realm.
Seeing the fierce resistance from the Six Kingdoms, Wuxun, who was already unconvinced of his defeat, clutched his Dragon Bracelet and shouted via voice transmission, "Lu Mingyuan, since you’re so unappreciative, don’t blame me for using this most terrifying Ancestral Dragon Power—"
"Annoying."
Lu Mingyuan’s gaze was indifferent. Before Wuxun could finish, he pressed his palm downward. The majestic Martial Dao Body moved in sync, roaring toward Wuxun.
A massive, mountain-sized Thunderous Celestial Saber came chopping straight down.
Wuxun never expected Lu Mingyuan to be so lacking in martial ethics, not even giving him the time to finish speaking.
The Thunderous Celestial Saber came with extreme speed.
Fortunately for him, he was protected by the Imperial Tutor, Jiang Shan.
A majestic, giant golden Buddha appeared in mid-air to block the strike.
CLANG!
A roar echoed throughout the valley from the sky.
Suddenly, Jiang Shan’s expression changed.
No one could have expected it.
CRACK!
That single strike actually created a crack in Jiang Shan’s Buddha’s Golden Body and Dharma Body. The crack then spread rapidly until the entire thing was shattered to pieces!
One strike.
With just one strike, Jiang Shan’s Dharma Body had been destroyed by Lu Mingyuan.
In an instant, the entire audience was in an uproar.
There were many who couldn’t believe their eyes.
Zen Master Jiang Shan of Golden Cicada Temple, the foremost figure of the Buddhist Sect in a hundred years, had always been a mountain-like existence among those in the Twelfth Realm.
As long as he was around, Golden Cicada Temple would not fall.
He was also a crucial contributor to the Silver Frost Empire’s unification of the Three Kingdoms.
And now, the Dharma Body of such a Great Buddha had been shattered by Lu Mingyuan in a single strike.
Generally, this was only possible when there was a massive gap in Realms.
But Jiang Shan’s strength was in the top tier of the Twelfth Realm. He was just one step away from entering the Upper Three Grades and becoming a Bodhisattva revered by tens of thousands in the Buddha Country!
This scene made Jiang Shan’s own eyelids twitch.
He could feel that Lu Mingyuan’s Cultivation was much stronger than it had been just moments ago.
’Is he a monster?’
’Why does his Cultivation keep rising?’
In an instant, his Dharma Aspect shattered. With one hand clutching his Buddha Beads and the other grabbing Wuxun, Jiang Shan retreated from his original position, his expression heavy.
Wuxun, too, was filled with lingering fear, unable to see clearly what had just happened.
But Lu Mingyuan advanced step by step like a War God, strolling as if through a garden.
"Hand over your Celestial Destiny and Fortune. Otherwise, none of you will leave."
He swept his sharp, piercing gaze over the terrified crowd, his words filled with an authority that allowed no doubt.
Emperor Orange Fate Grid - Martial Saint, Refinement Level increased to 40%.
Refinement Level reached 40%. Promoted Life Chart Traits - True Martial (Middle Level).
True Martial (Middle Level): The Martial Fortune of a continent, enough to sweep across a nation. Your talent for the Martial Dao is unparalleled in history, and your Martial Fortune is unrivaled in the world. You have no bottlenecks in Martial Dao cultivation. Your cultivation speed is increased by 200 times. During combat, you can absorb your opponent’s Destiny to greatly increase your Cultivation.
’True Martial has reached Middle Level?’
’That’s good news.’
"Since no one is willing, I’ll just have to take it myself."
Lu Mingyuan lowered his gaze, retracted his sweeping glance, and looked toward Luo Lingxiao.
The next second, he appeared above Luo Lingxiao’s head, his large hand snapping forward to grip her neck.
The movement was so fast that no one present could see it clearly.
This was because his power had already reached the absolute peak beneath the Upper Three Grades.
Within the Martial Dao’s Ending Realm of Time, he was invincible.
Just as Lu Mingyuan was about to absorb the Destiny from Luo Lingxiao...
"Stop."
A majestic voice resounded from the heavens.
Following it was a plain and simple Sword Qi.
This strand of Sword Qi seemed ordinary.
But it had already reached the Realm of Returning to the Essence, possessing the power to slice through a monstrous river or shatter a star from beyond the firmament.
...
