Chapter 281 - 254: The Worship of the Human Race
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"Congratulations, fellow Daoist!"
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Xiao Hong hadn’t witnessed the Heavenly Tribulation in person, yet he harbored no doubts, for Zhou Yi had become the first individual to demonstrate the Golden Core as a testament from heaven and earth.
Zhou Yi reigned in his mana and swept the surroundings with his divine sense. The great commotion had attracted many cultivators and martial artists from the nearby cities, and he declared loudly,
"In a month, I will preach about the Dao at the Martial Arts University, and anyone is welcome to listen!"
The voice carried for miles, announcing to all around.
Xiao Hong’s face immediately broke into a smile, "Fellow Daoist, let’s return to Xianjing first and prepare the True Monarch’s ceremony as per ancient customs!"
"There’s no need for too much trouble, there is another matter at hand."
Zhou Yi pointed to the ground and transmitted his message secretly, "During my tribulation, the Heavenly Thunder shattered the White Cloud Peak, and I discovered an ancient relic beneath it!"
Xiao Hong’s eyes shimmered with a golden light as he activated his bloodline divine skill, peering through a hundred zhang of earth.
"Indeed!"
"Let’s explore a bit."
With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yi threw out the Light Dividing Sword, creating an opening that reached the bottom of the earth. He transformed into a beam of light and entered.
Xiao Hong hesitated for a moment, then with a shake of his body, he materialized the body of a white tiger and followed Zhou Yi down the hole to the Earth Fire Palace.
The Earth Fire Palace covered a dozen or so li in area, with over a hundred large and small palaces. However, with their divine abilities, the two explored it in a moment’s time. All other realms were empty, leaving only the Scripture Pavilion and the medicinal garden.
The Scripture Pavilion held ancient methods which Zhou Yi collected into his storage bag to later catalog and add to the university library.
The medicinal garden.
There were many traces of formation and prohibition around, which had lost their efficacy over thousands of years.
Xiao Hong stood at the edge of the field, continuously rubbing his eyes, his vision glowing as he repeatedly confirmed it wasn’t an illusion array trap.
"So many Spirit Ginsengs?"
In the middle of the medicinal fields, dozens of thousand-year-old Spirit Ginsengs were growing like white radishes.
Zhou Yi pointed to many withered plants, saying, "It seems other spiritual medicines have gone to seed and withered away. The Spirit Ginsengs have a very long medicinal age and low environmental demands, which is probably why they’ve survived till now."
"That makes sense."
Still skeptical in his heart, Xiao Hong nevertheless urged Zhou Yi to hurry and excavate them.
Zhou Yi asked, puzzled, "Don’t you need them, fellow Daoist?"
"Your new technique resembles that of the demon race, focusing on transforming your bloodline, so you have little need for medicinal pills,"
Xiao Hong said, "True Lord Tang could refine the Spirit Ginsengs into medicinal pills to greatly enhance his mana cultivation. With your talent, you could well become the legendary Nascent Soul Ancestor, and the Nine Continents would again be under human rule!"
The power of the Golden Elixir True Monarch is strong, but it’s still finite.
When Nascent Soul Ancestors engage in combat, they effortlessly deploy magic divine abilities to annihilate hundreds of li around them, a force not merely measured in numbers!
"I will certainly strive hard in my cultivation."
Zhou Yi swept all the Spirit Ginsengs into his storage bag. This harvest was truly self-produced and self-earned. He added, "My sect’s legacy includes a formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill, and the key ingredient is the thousand-year Spirit Ginseng..."
"Really?"
Xiao Hong’s face lit up with delight and seeing Zhou Yi’s confirming nod, he burst out laughing with excitement.
"If that’s the case, the ancient cultivators are surely on the rise!"
The human alliance had many cultivators who had achieved Great Perfection in Qi Refinement, but because the probability of self-achieved Foundation Establishment was too low, they were reluctant to stake their lives on it. The only thing they lacked was the Foundation Establishment Pill.
"It’s not difficult to concoct Foundation Establishment Pills," Zhou Yi said, "the difficulty lies in how to distribute them."
"Do you have an idea, fellow Daoist?" inquired Xiao Hong.
"For every Foundation Establishment Pill exchanged, one must serve ten years on the frontlines after breaking through!"
On his way back to Xianjing from the Eastern Sea, Zhou Yi had passed the human frontlines and found that despite being fortified with formations and prohibitions, few cultivators were stationed there.
Later, while teaching at the Martial Arts University, he learned the reason.
Since there were so few ancient cultivators in the alliance, most served in the rear, practicing the four arts of cultivation: Artifact Refining, Alchemy, Talisman Drawing, Formation Setting. Compared to martial artists, these were technical vocations, and it was a shame to lose their lives on the frontlines.
Devices that scan ferocious beasts and black boxes for the common folk to detect demonic energies were all developed and refined by ancient cultivators.
Xiao Hong reminded him, "Cultivators are more effective in the rear than on the frontlines, the fighting should be left to the martial artists."
"One cannot achieve the Golden Core through bitter cultivation alone."
"You needn’t worry too much, fellow Daoist," Zhou Yi said, "Foundation Establishment cultivators can already practice escape techniques. Escaping the battlefield is not difficult for them, and even if the defense line falls, they can still save their lives!"
"Then let’s follow what the True Monarch says."
Xiao Hong bowed deeply, "The True Monarch is generous enough to forego the treasures of the relic to protect our race. I am ashamed I cannot compare!"
"We shall leave this place to the alliance’s archaeologists, to clarify the origins of the relic. It’s right that we extol its name as humans inherit its legacy!"
"It should be so."
Having said that, the two rose into the air and flew towards Xianjing.
That very day.
The recently quiet Xianjing once again became an ocean of joy, celebrating the addition of another True Monarch to humanity. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The second True Monarch with a different significance, indicating that Xiao Martial Saint was not an anomaly, predicting more powerful humans to emerge, heralding a prosperous future for humanity.
Next was the newfound offensive capability. With one on the offense and one on the defense, it might be possible to reclaim lost human territories.
The gossip in the streets shifted from Xiao Hong to Zhou Yi, embellished with tales of purple qi arriving from the east at birth, born with gold and jade, surrounded by celestial miasma, and with identities like the prodigy of a generation, reincarnated True Immortal and so on.
The joy of the common folk was simple, freely speculating about the great figures!
Upon his just returned to Xianjing, Zhou Yi received a message from the higher echelons of the alliance, inviting him to the Eastern Palace’s Court of Imperial Secretariats to discuss important matters.
"The Court of Imperial Secretariats!"
Zhou Yi nodded slightly, his expression inscrutable.
"A return to familiar grounds..."
After discussing the celebration and teaching arrangements with Xiao Hong, he transformed into a beam of light and landed directly outside the Court of Imperial Secretariats.
Two six-foot-tall stone lions stood at the gates, weathered by twenty-five hundred years of sun and wind, their surfaces now smooth like jade. Their eyes were engraved with prohibitive inscriptions, radiating a fierce majesty.
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