Chapter 758: Chapter 489: Purifying Heart, Transforming into Dragon, Ascension to Golden Throne
Tao Qian, who always sought carefree and longevity, suddenly launched a campaign of conquest. Bolstered by the divine decree of the Ancient Three Saint Emperors and the stirrings of all Ancestor God Treasures,
it ultimately crushed the Founding Emperors within the Alchemists who had mutated over the years.
They all knew that if Tao Qian were to take control of the seventy-two provinces, each of their deaths would be utterly tragic—a lesson drawn from the fates of the two "Daoist friends" before them.
Even though Zhu Rizhao and Gao Huan were indeed devoured by them,
there was no denying that Tao Qian was the lead culprit.
The fear of dying and vanishing from the Dao!
Even if one has undergone Daoist Transformation, how can it be dispelled?
Even at this juncture, Ancestor Emperor Liu still cried out:
"Hold back, all of you hold back for me."
"This man could never rebuild the Forbidden Law Barrier by himself, even with the support of his billions of foolish subjects. He doesn’t have the resources, nor does he have the full inheritance of the Ancestor Dragon’s legacy like us..."
The logic was sound, without any flaws.
Unfortunately, all twelve of them were Emperors, all accustomed to being decisive and authoritative.
How could they possibly heed the advice of others at such a critical moment of life and death?
The first to betray him was none other than his mortal enemy, Li Wanshou.
"This rat is mad! Once he’s made up his mind, he’s bound to carry it through. If he comes to power later, we surely will live worse than death. As the Eternal Emperor, how could I allow another to control my fate?"
"When it comes to conquering the world, whom have I, Li Wanshou, ever feared?"
Before he could finish speaking, he paid no mind to what Liu Pei might think and took action immediately.
A thunderous "boom" erupted, starting from the Imperial City and spreading to the rest of the country’s provinces.
In an instant, it captured the attention of the whole world.
Fortunately, Sects like Divine Ear Sect and Ting Di Sect had experts behind them who understood that this battle, being between the First Heavenly Pride of Daoism and the Alchemists, was bound to affect the whole country.
So they had made arrangements in advance and instantly broadcast the scene of the Imperial City to the eyes of the world.
Before seeing anything, the people of the seventy-two provinces first heard an imperial edict, grand and authoritative:
"I am Li Wanshou."
"I once founded the Li Dynasty in this realm, with unparalleled martial achievements, expanding territories and ensuring peace and security for the people; all over the Ten Directions and Nine Realms, I was acknowledged as the Sky Khan."
"I have heard of the shattering of the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Longevity Barrier and have returned from the Outer Realm. For the sake of all people, I wish to establish Si Xixin as the new ruler."
"Bestow the Ancestor Dragon Bloodline!"
"Bestow the treasures of the Li Dynasty!"
"I hope the new monarch will understand the principle that the monarch is the boat and the people are the water; the water can carry the boat but can also capsize it. Employ civil governance and martial valor to initiate a new era, rebuild the Barrier, and protect all people."
...
It has to be said, once the Imperial Edict resounded,
much of the shock brought by Tao Qian was instantly diminished.
Billions of people from the seventy-two provinces, whether they had been educated or not, were all staring wide-eyed with disbelief.
Who was Li Wanshou?
Just as the imperial edict stated, he was a figure who stepped right out of the history books.
The founder of the Li Dynasty, he had tremendous achievements and was indeed called the Sky Khan.
Among the myriad of Emperors in the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, he was one of the few entitled to be called the Eternal Emperor.
When such a figure proclaimed himself to have returned from the Outer Realm to appoint a new ruler and save people from calamity, who could remain calm?
Especially following the imperial edict, what was unfolding was a scene of the Immortals that could only be seen in ancient mythological paintings:
Above the sky, sudden sounds of water were heard,
followed by melodious Immortal music, drifting auspicious clouds, and swirling auspicious qi.
It was as if the Tianhe was reversing its flow, turning the territory of the Imperial City into a vast ocean in an instant.
What was amazing was that the citizens within it felt no sense of suffocation, let alone drowned.
On the contrary, in that moment, everyone could see the joy on the faces of the citizens of the Imperial City, hear their exclamations, as if they were soaking in "Jadescent Nectar," benefiting immensely without harm, prolonging life, and eradicating all illnesses.
What was even more astounding was that fish of all sizes, each with distinct spiritual essences and colorful stripes, swam in from treasures of the Heavenly Palace of the Outer Realm into this world.
These unbelievable sights immediately rekindled the people’s beautiful hopes for Li Wanshou.
After all, the history books, which wrote of him in no uncertain terms,
presented him as a monarch who loved his people,
a naturally trustworthy figure, stirring cheers from the crowd:
"We are saved, we are finally saved!"
"To witness such a scene of Immortals, it is evident the Grand and Filially Pious Emperor of Civil and Martial Virtues did not meet his end. Instead, he attained the way of the Immortal and left for the Outer Realm, now hurrying back from afar to save the world upon hearing of the calamity befalling his people."
"Si Xixin is indeed one of the rare figures amongst the Northern Land’s various warlords who love the people, and also possesses extraordinary bloodline and great wisdom. Having him as the new Human Emperor... indeed seems more suitable than Master Tao."
"Look, Si Xixin is transforming into a True Dragon."
With the exclamations, everyone then saw a never-before-seen enormity, a Big Fish with surging Divine Light and boundless colors leap out.
This fish suddenly spoke up, saying:
"Si Xixin abides by the sage’s teachings!"
"Hereby I swear, even if my body and Dao perish, and my brains and blood are dashed to the ground, I shall employ this body and life to rebuild that Ancestor God Forbidden Technique and ensure the safety of all people."
Nobody could have expected that, immediately after taking the stage, Si Xixin, transformed into a Big Fish, repeated Master Tao’s great vow.
Right after he finished speaking, a formidable and unimaginable portal appeared above his head.
Behind that door stood a figure that seemed eternally present and shocked those familiar with history—Ancestor Dragon!
The very founder of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, Ancestor Emperor Liu stood there, leaning on his sword, with a Heavenly Palace Treasure Vault opening behind him, as if gathering all the treasures under the sky.
Upon witnessing such a scene, even a fool would know what was about to happen.
Si Xixin was about to leap over the Dragon Gate, obtain the Ancestor Dragon Bloodline, gain access to the Heavenly Palace Treasure Vault, and use it to rebuild the Forbidden Law Barrier.
Without a doubt, this was another great new hope for All People.
And it seemed, even more reliable than Master Tao.
After all, Si Xixin had the endorsement of Li Wanshou, the "Saint Emperor who loved his people."
Instantly at that moment, the Human Dao Fortune and Blessing that had originally surged towards Tao Qian were now being diverted, a large portion now flowing towards Si Xixin.
The combined force, which formed in an instant, truly pushed this new ruler over the Dragon Gate.
"The will of the people!"
"The new emperor ascends to the throne!"
Accompanying this Imperial Edict, billions of rainbow lights burst forth.
Si Xixin, within them, officially commenced Transforming into Dragon.
...
Such a mythic spectacle set tens of billions of hearts racing with excitement.
Yet at Tao Qian’s place, while there was joy, a cold smile also emerged.
A false illusion could deceive the entire world, but naturally, it could not deceive the Spiritual Resonance Eye of Tao Qian.
What he now saw was this:
Si Xixin revealed his true form, a grotesque creature that was half-fish, half-dragon, splendidly colorful, with a body covered in fish hooks and rotting sores, being fed by a swarm of decaying strange fish in the midst of the Human Dao Torrent leaping over the Dragon Gate.
His food was none other than the "Ancestor Dragon Dead Fetus" that Yuann Mingzhen had mentioned before.
Its form was that of a grotesque infantile flesh, as large as mountains, skinless, drenched in blood, bloated and decaying with countless bizarre wounds.
Had it not been for the dense imperial majesty exuding from each corpse, even Tao Qian would not dare to imagine that these ghastly things were stripped from the body of the Ancestor Emperor himself.
To others, Si Xixin in the midst of Transforming into Dragon was letting out pleasurable Dragon Roars.
But to Tao Qian, the man was actually screaming in agony.
It made sense, considering that each of the Ancestor Dragon Dead Fetuses was larger than Si Xixin’s original form; cramming one after another into his stomach, on top of guzzling pus water from the Immortal Fish Pond to aid digestion, caused his mouth to tear with every bite, eventually splitting open to the back of his head.
With such tremendous suffering came equally immense benefits.
Tao Qian, present in the Human Dao Torrent, could clearly feel the impact of "Si Xixin’s Transforming into Dragon and ascending to the throne" on himself, as the ample benefits that should have been his flowed towards the other.
Not only were they healing his injuries and offsetting his costs, but they also established a tight connection between him and the Ancestor God Treasures scattered across the provinces.
Combined with his newly inherited Heavenly Palace Treasure Vault, his presence suddenly rose to be on par with Tao Qian.
"Not enough, not enough!"
"Just Li Wanshou alone is not sufficient."
"Keep them coming, just one more will do."
Tao Qian murmured joyfully to himself.
With his wisdom, how could he not know that his Great Plan had succeeded?
Yuann Mingzhen once said: Twelve Emperors of Alchemist, divided into two factions, led by Li Wanshou and Liu Pei respectively.
Now that Li Wanshou had fallen for the trap and entered the fray, Liu Pei wouldn’t want to die and would have to follow suit.
As if to confirm the thought in Tao Qian’s heart, just as Si Xixin continued to wail,
Outside the realm, a vast shadow cursed:
"Li Wanshou, what a fool."
"If this causes me harm, I won’t let you off."
"Gentlemen, place your bets with me."
What mortals heard as a terrifying delirium was thus shouted out.
Within the realm, another Imperial Edict resounded.
Sects like Divine Ear and Ting Di, had already dutifully started broadcasting.
"I am Liu Pei."
"Who once established the Liu Family dynasty in this territory, with glorious military achievements, expanding borders, and bringing peace and prosperity to people, was hailed by Shifang and nine realms as the Eternal Emperor."
"Now hearing the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique Longevity Barrier is broken... seeking to appoint Zhang Jinluan as the new emperor."
"Grant an Ancestor Dragon incarnation!"
"Grant the Liu Family’s Treasure Vault!"
"May you... rebuild the Barrier, and protect All People."
With this series of grand sacred proclamations, the Seventy-two provinces were once again ignited.
Everyone’s faces couldn’t help but flush with excitement.
No one can be blamed for such a turn of events that no one could have imagined.
Li Wanshou emerging from the history books was one thing, but now, unexpectedly, there came Liu Pei.
Even though this "Ancestor Emperor Liu" had not yet displayed Great Divine Power, not a single person doubted his identity.
The reason?
Simply hearing him brazenly plagiarize Li Wanshou’s Imperial Edict was proof enough of the characteristic of that Eternal Sovereign.
The only surprise was that these two emperors, who both enjoyed nearly the highest regard in the history books, had chosen different candidates as the new Human Emperor.
And as Liu Pei issued his Imperial Edict, as everyone watched the Great Divine Power he was about to unleash, they all began to anticipate:
"If Ancestor Emperor Li and Emperor Liu have returned from the Outer Realm, what about the other Founding Emperors?"
"Back then, Tao Master revealed that each generation of emperors lay prostrate under the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, leeching blood for survival, but it appears now that the emperors have turned into Immortals and left for the Outer Realm."
"Whom do you believe? I only believe in Tao Master."
"Come place your bets quickly, who will be the third Ancestor Emperor to appear in the world? And whom will he support?"