# Chapter 1719: The Tide Has Turned
"You are Xing Han."
National Preceptor Jiang Baigui first paid his respects to the Upper Emperor Sword God Bai Qiu'er, then to Yi Shisheng, before finally arriving before Xing Han. He studied him for a moment, recognized him, and said, "You helped the Upper Emperor Sword God destroy the Divine Strategy Left Guard?"
Xing Han stood up. His body was tattered and covered in wounds everywhere, but he actually had no sense of pain. This body of his was also an assembled body; all sensations of pain had long been erased by him.
In fact, he possessed very little human emotion.
The two sages born once every five hundred years in Yankang finally faced each other. Xing Han tilted his head, looking at Jiang Baigui, studying him for a few moments. He found his face detestable—it actually bore some resemblance to his own, an indescribable annoyance.
This aversion came from the light of reason and wisdom in Jiang Baigui's eyes. Xing Han also possessed this light of reason and wisdom, but the paths the two chose to walk were different.
"You came too late. I fought this battle for you." Xing Han shifted his gaze away, speaking indifferently.
Jiang Baigui nodded.
"Now the Primordial Realm has been reduced to scorched earth. Yankang is the last place of peace. Xing Han, with all your skills, guarding Yankang means guarding your future legacy."
Jiang Baigui also averted his gaze from him, coming to his left side to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, though the two faced opposite directions. He continued, "Heavenly Court is bound to lose. In the future, Yankang's reforms will spread throughout the entire Primordial Realm, all heavens and myriad realms. You have great potential."
"You are a sage. I am not."
Xing Han shook his head, kicking the box. "I am merely a seeker of the Dao. Whether Yankang wins or Heavenly Court triumphs, I can survive. I deeply hate the remnants of humanity still lingering in my heart. This humanity makes me do irrational things. This time, I nearly destroyed all my collections from so many years. How could I do it a second time? Since you've arrived, I will leave Yankang, leave the Primordial Realm, and find another place to settle."
"A sage?"
Jiang Baigui laughed heartily. "Do you truly believe there are sages in this world? Actually, there aren't. The so-called sage born once every five hundred years is merely the one with the highest wisdom born within those five hundred years. People like you and me—we have the highest wisdom in our respective five hundred years. Even if we go back a million years or forward a million years, we are still among those with the highest wisdom."
Xing Han turned sideways to look at him, puzzled. "So you understand this. I thought you considered yourself a sage. Since you understand, you should know that there are truly few people in this world worthy of our notice. Because the world is filled with fools, we appear as anomalies. To others, we are strange. We feel our behavior and actions are normal, but they think we are too rational and lack humanity. In truth, humanity is merely a manifestation of foolishness."
Jiang Baigui turned around, and the two finally faced each other directly.
"But there are sages in this world."
Jiang Baigui said, "A sage is not defined by birth, but by words and deeds. I am not a sage born once every five hundred years, but I can become a sage."
Xing Han laughed heartily, shaking his head. "Unity of knowledge and action? Foolish. What benefit does being a sage bring you? Can it help you attain the Dao, or guarantee your survival? You are inferior to me. I am freer than you, and I have more ways to preserve my life."
Jiang Baigui smiled. "I have three establishments. Establishing education—Yankang widely promotes learning, spreading it throughout the world, so that people are no longer ignorant, no longer worship gods blindly, so that they know the how and the why, and naturally have no fear in their hearts. Establishing words—that is establishing knowledge, transmitting wisdom, teaching understanding. The body may decay, the primordial spirit may be annihilated, but words can endure forever. Knowing words allows one to know action. Establishing merit—that is what I am doing now. Great merit: promoting the path of the Houtian (Acquired/Postnatal), broadly developing economy and military preparedness, flourishing the lives of Houtian beings. Small merit: destroying Heavenly Court. After these three establishments, I will attain the Dao."
Xing Han listened quietly as he finished explaining his philosophy. After a moment, he said, "There are too few of our kind in this world. I admire you, but I do not identify with you. There's no need to keep me, and you cannot keep me. I'm leaving."
He stepped away, and the box pattered over to Bai Qiu'er's side, rubbing against the girl's leg to bid her farewell, then quickly caught up with Xing Han.
Jiang Baigui watched him go, then withdrew his gaze. "Senior Bai, the warriors of the Upper Emperor are admirable. There's no need to trouble you with the battles ahead."
Bai Qiu'er shook her head. "This is the wish of all generations of Upper Emperors, and also my wish."
Jiang Baigui sensed her resolve and did not try to persuade her further. "In that case, let us set off immediately."
Yi Shisheng placed the nine Upper Emperor Heavenly Emperors into the coffins, seemingly hoping that these senior brothers of his might reanimate as corpse demons within the coffins. However, this was almost impossible.
"National Preceptor intends to go to Maple Wind Valley?" Bai Qiu'er asked.
Jiang Baigui shook his head. "Maple Wind Valley is guarded by my teacher, Wen Tiange. His wisdom surpasses mine; he can hold it. The true battle that will break the deadlock is not at Maple Wind Valley, but at the Mystic Capital."
He looked upward. In the sky, countless suns were moving far away from Yankang. Even so, the air was scorching hot, and many places in Yankang had been baked into scorched earth.
Those suns were spinning chaotically like a revolving lantern—that was Moon Heavenly Venerate and Lang Wan doing their utmost to hold back the Sun Guardians and Moon Guardians of the Mystic Capital, but they simply couldn't completely hold back so many armies.
"The Nether Capital has already fallen under Yankang's control. If the Mystic Capital also falls into Yankang's hands, then the overall situation can be settled."
Jiang Baigui said, "Even if we win at Maple Wind Valley, it will only be a minor victory, a pyrrhic victory. My goal is not to block Heavenly Court's offensive, but to uproot Heavenly Court entirely! The Mystic Capital is crucial! With the Mystic Capital and the Nether Capital, the balance of offense and defense shifts!"
Xing Han walked with his box toward the nearby spiritual energy transfer bridge. It was as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps to the box. "The Primordial Realm no longer suits me. Now, Hao Heavenly Emperor and Tai Chu think I'm dead. I've repaid Senior Qin's favor. The world is vast, and I can roam freely. I owe no one."
The box followed him, its lid opening and closing with a clatter, as if conversing with him.
"Because of a momentary impulse, a lifetime's collection turned to nothing. You feel the pain too, don't you?" Xing Han smiled.
He passed through Yankang's spiritual energy transfer bridge to other heavens. Looking around, he couldn't help but frown. In many heavens, people were fleeing. Heavenly Court's divine demon armies were everywhere, capturing the beings of other heavens as food, looting their wealth, throwing the other heavens into chaos.
Xing Han passed through over a dozen heavens, frowning more deeply. These heavens were no longer suitable for his scholarly pursuits either.
Some of the fleeing people were heading to more remote heavens, some were even fleeing to the Primordial Realm, and many divine demons were heading to Yankang, intending to form an alliance with Yankang to resist Heavenly Court together.
Even though Xing Han had little interest in the overall situation of the world, he could now see some patterns.
"Jiang Baigui truly deserves to be the smartest person in five hundred years. He can see the overwhelming trend. Hao Heavenly Emperor acts against the will of the people, losing all popular support. Yankang has become where the people's hearts turn. As time passes, its military strength will only grow stronger. Heavenly Court's destruction is not far off."
His eyes flickered as he headed toward the Ancestral Court, silently thinking: "Jiang Baigui might truly become a sage, but I won't be inferior to him. I've basically finished my research on Heavenly Court's divine demons, and I've collected all the brains I need. There's no reason to stay in Heavenly Court any longer. Now, only one place holds great appeal for me."
He walked through the starry sky, precisely missing Xu Shenghua, and thus had no chance to learn of the incident in the Ancestral Court.
Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have retreated, but instead would have been even more delighted.
Xu Shenghua carried Qin Mu's coffin, traveling a great distance, arriving at Yankang at the most brutal moment of the Battle of Maple Wind Valley.
Maple Wind Valley had become a blood-soaked battlefield. Here, the main forces of Heavenly Court's Divine Masters and Water Masters had launched their assault. Almost everyone—whether or not they had comprehended the Ancestral Court Dao Realm system—had taken the field. Tai Shi, Lan Yutian, the First Ancestor, Village Chief, Di Yiyue, Southern Emperor, Northern Emperor, and others had all entered the fray!
Although Yankang had many experts, it was severely lacking in military strength. Holding the defensive line was extremely difficult.
Xu Shenghua carried the Burial Dao Divine Coffin onto the battlefield. One by one, the Dao Execution Divine Nails on the coffin were removed by him. The coffin lid was pried open a crack, and divine light billowed out from that narrow gap.
The heavy Dao might suppressed the present era. The Dao might emanating from the coffin immediately shocked everyone. Anyone could feel that terrifying majesty of the Great Dao.
"Pastoral Celestial Venerable's coffin!"
The two Taiji Ancient Gods immediately sounded the retreat, tightening their formation, staring nervously at the approaching Xu Shenghua.
Xu Shenghua exerted his strength and hurled the Burial Dao Divine Coffin. The massive divine coffin whistled across the front lines of both armies and landed with a thud between them.
The two Taiji Ancient Gods immediately gathered together. The Taiji Sand Table, their companion treasure split in two, slammed shut with a boom. The might of the Taiji Dao spread, the sand table's yin and yang spinning, elevated to its peak by the two Ancient Gods, ready to respond to any contingency.
Millions of divine demons held their breath, staring nervously at that divine coffin.
Xu Shenghua walked past Heavenly Court's divine demon army, heading toward the battered Maple Wind Valley.
He had left Qin Mu between the two armies, with no intention of bringing the coffin into Maple Wind Valley.
Both armies were dead silent. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the divine coffin. Only the ancient giant beasts summoned from the Beast Realm let out uneasy low roars.
Even Xu Shenghua's unparalleled grace went unnoticed. Everyone's attention was drawn to the divine coffin.
Among the Heavenly River Water Masters and Heavenly Court Divine Envoys, many soldiers had sweat and blood mingling together, sliding down their foreheads, dripping onto their damaged divine armor.
Sweat beaded more and more on the faces of the two Taiji Ancient Gods. They wanted to send someone to inspect the divine coffin, but dared not give the order.
The atmosphere was unbearably oppressive.
In the distance, within Heavenly Court's main camp, Hao Heavenly Emperor and Tai Chu were also staring fixedly at that divine coffin, their hearts tightening more and more.
Hao Heavenly Emperor had originally been blaming Tai Chu for acting on his own to kill Xing Han Celestial Venerable. Now, seeing Xu Shenghua arriving carrying the coffin, he realized he had wronged Tai Chu.
Suddenly, a few fingers emerged from the crack in the coffin.
Everyone's pupils contracted sharply. Those fingers grabbed the coffin lid and gently pried it. The Burial Dao Divine Coffin let out a creaking sound, especially jarring in the silent battlefield.
Bang!
The coffin lid hit the ground. The millions of soldiers in Heavenly Court's Divine Masters and Water Masters all took several steps back, gripping their divine and demon weapons tightly.
Suddenly, an ancient giant beast from the army let out an earth-shaking roar, turned around, and fled, scattering the formation of many soldiers.
"Don't move!" the Yin Consort called out hoarsely, though it was unclear if anyone heard.
From within that Burial Dao Divine Coffin, Dao light shot up into the sky, connecting to the heavens, spreading out like a great curtain of Dao light. Within the Dao light, a World Tree slowly rose.
But no one was looking at that World Tree. Everyone's gaze was locked onto the mouth of the coffin.
A figure slowly sat up from within the coffin, its profile facing Heavenly Court's Divine Masters and Water Masters, then slowly turned its head.
Whoosh—
Heavenly Court's Divine Masters and Water Masters erupted in chaos, a clamor rising as they turned and fled in all directions.
The two Taiji Ancient Gods hastily ordered the troops to be restrained, but who would listen to them?
Under the grip of extreme terror, everyone, including the ancient giant beasts, fled for their lives toward Heavenly Court's main camp!
At the same time, an edict from Hao Heavenly Emperor came from the camp, ordering the Taiji Ancient Gods to retreat.
The two Ancient Gods were unwilling, turning back to look at the already battered Maple Wind Valley, only to meet Qin Mu's gaze.
The two Ancient Gods were startled and immediately retreated.
Hao Heavenly Emperor watched the tide of divine demons surging toward his camp, and a desolate feeling of the tide having turned suddenly rose in his heart.
Then, he rallied his spirits, silently thinking: "I still have a chance! As long as Third Young Master breaks the Red Rope Knot Seal, I can turn things around! I just need to hold the situation in Heavenly Court for a few more years!"
"Pastoral Celestial Venerable!"
Suddenly, earth-shaking cheers erupted from Maple Wind Valley. The divine demons of Yankang and the Land of No Worries were cheering. At first, the voices were chaotic, but then everyone's voices converged into a single earth-shattering torrent!
"Pastoral Celestial Venerable! Pastoral Celestial Venerable!"
This torrent was as fervent as Yankang's reforms, spreading like wildfire, passing from one divine city to another, evolving into an even more thunderous and stirring cry.
Xu Shenghua walked into Maple Wind Valley. Lan Yutian hurried over, puzzled. "Daoist Xu, why is my brother sitting there without getting up, and why is his head-turning so slow?"
"The reason Sect Leader Qin turns his head so slowly is because there are fifty very long divine nails embedded in his wounds."
Xu Shenghua said, "When he sat up, it was already excruciatingly painful. His body was probably still trembling. Turning his head was even more agonizing. The nails are very long."
Ling Yuxiu also rushed over. Hearing this, she became even more worried. "My husband was left there..."
"He'll be fine."
Xu Shenghua reassured her. "Even if Sect Leader Qin were dead, his residual might would still be formidable. And he still has a breath left in him."
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