Chapter 1388: Confucian Saint King
After the First Central Empire was established, it vigorously supported the Confucian path, using it to check the power of the Taiji Dao and the Ten Thousand Buddha Dao, achieving a balance among the three paths.
For this reason, the Confucian path and the First Central Empire were inextricably linked. Civil officials were almost exclusively selected from among the Confucian path's successors.
Even within the entire Confucian path, those who could cultivate to the Spiritual Power Saint King realm were as rare as the morning stars. Each one had a name and a title, absolutely existing at the level of a Confucian Ancestral Master.
Among the Sacred Bright rebels, there was actually a Confucian Saint King. The Confucian Saints and War Saints in the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor were naturally extremely shocked.
"The masters of the four sacred lands of the Confucian path haven't even reached the Saint King realm, yet this person is more powerful than those four masters. Who is he? Why is he rebelling together with Zhang Ruochen?"
Not only them, but even Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that, besides Grandmaster Taiyi, the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion also had a Saint King.
Truly worthy of being called the empire's foundation. The strength of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion was terrifyingly formidable.
"Who exactly are you?" Ancestor Qingyue Luo asked.
The Confucian Saint King's voice was very calm. "Why ask so many questions? Someone like you should have died long ago. Why bother sleeping underground, living a life of ignoble survival?"
Ancestor Qingyue Luo said, "The Empress has become a god, her divine power covering the entire world. With a single word, she can decide your life or death. Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Some things are more important than one's own life. How could someone like you, who sleeps underground, barely clinging to life, only thinking about living a few more hundred years, possibly understand? Life can be just an instant, but it must be fearless. Even a moth flying into a flame can bloom with a bright light," the Confucian Saint King said.
"Very well, I will grant you that wish."
Ancestor Qingyue Luo mobilized the rules of the Ice Sacred Dao. The sky above his head turned cyan, the earth beneath his feet was sealed by ice, and dozens of spiritual mountains turned into snow-capped peaks.
The rules of this heaven and earth seemed to change, giving rise to some astonishing phenomena. Cyan dragon shadows rushed up from the ground, waterfalls cascaded down from the sky, and streaks of sacred shadows flew around Ancestor Qingyue Luo.
"Ancestor Luo is invincible under heaven. He will surely be able to suppress and kill the Sacred Bright rebels."
"Only a figure at the Saint King level possesses the power to change heaven and earth like this."
Ancestor Qingyue Luo raised a palm and slashed it forward. Countless cyan dragon phantoms charged out along with it, tearing apart the vast righteous qi.
"Heaven and earth possess righteous qi, manifesting in myriad forms."
The Confucian Saint King recited this line from his mouth. Instantly, a bright white light surged out from his body, transforming into an even denser righteous qi.
"Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars."
The righteous qi enveloped heaven and earth. Beneath his feet, it condensed into mountains and great rivers; above his head, it condensed into a sky full of stars.
"In humans, it is called vast righteousness, filling the vast cosmos."
...
With each step the Confucian Saint King took forward, he recited a line from the "Song of Righteous Qi in the Clouds." The righteous qi became more and more majestic, as if one could see towering mountains with one's own eyes and hear the roaring sound of rivers surging.
Every single character was a star.
The cyan dragon phantoms and hand seals unleashed by Ancestor Qingyue Luo were directly shattered by the righteous qi.
"Pfft."
The stars in the sky fell, striking Ancestor Qingyue Luo, causing him to spit sacred blood and stagger backward. His body was riddled with bloody holes, an indescribably miserable sight.
A royal clan ancestor who had lived for over a thousand years was being completely suppressed by a Confucian Saint King of unknown identity. Both the imperial army and the Sacred Bright army were extremely shocked.
"So His Highness the Crown Prince has such a powerful figure under his command. No wonder he dares to attack the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor."
"Today, no matter what, we must capture the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor and make the Chi family and the imperial court pay for the blood debt of eight hundred years ago."
...
The battle reached a fever pitch. More and more imperial troops and Sacred Bright troops were locked in slaughter. Tens of thousands died every moment, their blood flowing along the streets, forming a river of blood.
"The Tiger Ben Heavenly King is here! Who dares to act recklessly in the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor?"
A sacred city, a hundred zhang in diameter, flew in from afar, crushing everything in its path. Over thirty thousand Sacred Bright soldiers were instantly killed in one strike, including two Saint realm experts.
That Tiger Ben Heavenly King was overwhelmingly powerful, as if he could destroy everything in the world.
"Bang, bang."
Even after the sacred city had flown past, the bodies of the Sacred Bright soldiers and saints on the ground only then exploded, turning into clouds of blood mist.
The sacred city flew into the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, crashing towards the Confucian Saint King to prevent him from continuing his attack on Ancestor Qingyue Luo.
The Confucian Saint King remained unhurried. Forming a hand seal, he continued reciting the "Song of Righteous Qi in the Clouds": "When it pierces the sun and moon, what value is life or death?"
A blazing sun and a bright moon appeared simultaneously, colliding violently with the oncoming sacred city. A wave of energy ripples surged out wildly, tearing apart parts of the inscriptions of the ancient palace-protecting formation.
After sixteen consecutive mobilizations, Zhang Ruochen finally succeeded in mobilizing the world force of the Qiankun Realm, shielding Blood Moon Ghost King, White Li Princess, A Le, and the others behind him, blocking the residual shockwaves from the two Saint Kings.
Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw, within that hundred-zhang sacred city, a bearded man sat, clad in White Tiger Sacred Armor, like a war god descending.
Within Sacred Bright City, there was not only the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor. Other Heavenly Kings also had their residences built here.
The Tiger Ben Heavenly King was one of them. As it happened, he was recently staying in Sacred Bright City. Sensing the great upheaval in the city, he immediately drove a sacred city to come to the rescue.
The Tiger Ben Heavenly King was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of War, permanently stationed at the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain. He only returned to the Kunlun Realm after the Empress became a god.
"Thank you, Tiger Ben Heavenly King, for coming to the rescue. This Confucian Saint King's spiritual power is definitely not just at the fifty-fifth level; he is a formidable figure. Heavenly King, hold him off for a moment. I will go mobilize the power of the ancient palace-protecting formation and use it to suppress and kill him."
The wounds on Ancestor Qingyue Luo's body healed rapidly. Then, he transformed into a cyan moon and flew towards the depths of the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor.
"If you want to mobilize the ancient palace-protecting formation, you must first pass through this old man."
Ancestor Cai, holding a purple-gold ancient sword, shattered patches of earth as he swung his sword towards Ancestor Qingyue Luo, roaring: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Cabinet Minister Cai Yuanxi has come to help you kill the enemy and restore the Sacred Bright Empire's prestige!"
Ancestor Qingyue Luo and Ancestor Cai were evenly matched in cultivation. However, Ancestor Qingyue Luo had been injured by the righteous qi earlier, putting him at a disadvantage. He was sent flying by Ancestor Cai's sword strike.
Ancestor Qingyue Luo was furious and roared: "Cai Yuanxi, you old undying thing, how dare you rebel against the First Central Empire?"
"Back then, if His Majesty the Ming Emperor hadn't gone missing, the Crown Prince hadn't been assassinated, the imperial court had usurped power, and Sacred Bright City was drenched in blood and chaos, how could I have surrendered to you? Now that the Crown Prince has returned and the Sacred Bright Central Empire has its rightful heir again, it is only natural for me to support the Crown Prince for the Ming Emperor. Otherwise, how could I face His Majesty the Ming Emperor's kindness and patronage?"
Ancestor Cai's long hair flew wildly, his face flushed red. The sacred qi within his body churned violently, and the purple-gold ancient sword in his hand transformed into a mountain of swords, pressing down on Ancestor Qingyue Luo.
This old man, who was on the verge of death, had his blood boil when he saw the Sacred Bright war flag. He was more excited and frenzied than many young cultivators.
Soon, outside the Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, the cultivators of the Cai family formed an army and attacked.
Zhang Ruochen knew time was extremely tight. The waters of the First Central Empire ran deep, and there were countless experts. The longer the delay, the more disadvantageous the situation would be for the Sacred Bright army.
Even though the twelve Buddha Emperor relics sealed the entire city, the Confucian path still had the Heaven and Earth Chess Game, which could see through the secrets of heaven and know the major events happening throughout the Kunlun Realm.
He had to end this quickly.
He had to gain control of the Great Saint inscriptions in the Ancestral Temple of the Emperors as soon as possible to secure victory.
A Le faced off against the Seventh Prince, while Blood Moon Ghost King fought against the Forty-Sixth Prince.
With the two of them holding off the royal clan's old antiques, Zhang Ruochen used his fastest speed, threading through the gaps in the Saint King battlefield, and rushed into that stretch of spiritual mountains, wanting only to enter the Ancestral Temple of the Emperors as quickly as possible.
"Where do you think you're going? Stay here with this king!"
A roar erupted from underground, and a burst of sacred light surged out.
Another royal clan prince who had been sleeping underground had awakened, unleashing a sacred art fist seal from below. Of course, his cultivation wasn't as terrifying as the Seventh Prince and the others; he was merely a True Saint on the verge of death.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed ten consecutive Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palms. Countless dragon and elephant shadows appeared, frantically bombarding that prince, shattering his sacred body.
Entering the depths of the spiritual mountains, an invisible force acted upon Zhang Ruochen, suppressing him to the ground, preventing him from continuing to fly.
He had entered the outer area of the Ancestral Temple of the Emperors. The spatial structure became extremely stable, and the rules of heaven and earth underwent a strange change. No living being could fly here.
Suddenly, a dragon roar sounded. From a patch of sacred light in the distance, nine flood dragons with Saint realm cultivation charged out.
The nine sacred dragons ran simultaneously, their powerful might causing this structurally stable land to tremble slightly.
Behind the nine dragons was a dazzling golden light. Vaguely, one could see that within the golden light was a chariot.
"Golden Step Dragon Carriage."
Zhang Ruochen's pupils contracted. He recognized it as his father, the Ming Emperor's war chariot. It was called the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, also known as the "Nine Dragon Carriage." It was an extremely powerful Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact.
The bodies of the nine flood dragons turned crimson, emitting a scorching force. Then, from their mouths, they simultaneously spat out a mouthful of sacred fire, which twisted together and surged towards Zhang Ruochen.
The waves of fire were sky-high, possessing the terrifying power to burn the seas and boil the oceans.
Zhang Ruochen propped up his Space Domain, using the method of Space Distortion. The flames that were originally surging towards him, when they were still ten zhang away, actually reversed direction and surged back.
From within the Golden Step Dragon Carriage, a young and somewhat arrogant voice came: "As expected of the Heir of Time and Space. You do have some skill."