God Manifestation, Saint Emerges from the Southeast

His cry of alarm was loud, but at this moment, no one paid it any mind.

Nearly everyone raised their heads, looking toward the rapidly darkening sky. In the pupils of every citizen of the Empire were reflected countless rolling, gathering dark clouds.

Cloud banks came from all directions, piling up above the Capital within a few breaths.

Only a moment ago, the sky had been clear for miles.

In the blink of an eye, dark clouds blanketed the heavens.

How could people not be shocked, not be afraid?

"Rumble!!!"

Just as countless cries of alarm rose, a roar that seemed to come from the starry void emerged without warning.

The sound was heavy and majestic.

In that instant, it swept across three hundred thousand square kilometers of the continent.

Not only the Capital—across the entire Empire, in countless prefectural cities, commanderies, and counties, millions of citizens were startled by this strange rumble.

They all raised their heads, staring uncertainly into the heights above.

In a few regions, people even witnessed the spectacular sight of the dark clouds suddenly rolling toward the center of the continent.

"What happened?"

"The dark clouds drifted away!"

Countless people were baffled, yet no one could offer an answer.

By comparison, the vast Capital, as the source of the roar, felt far more clearly the terrifying heavenly might contained within it.

Those who had gone to the Western Garden to watch the ceremony were ultimately few.

Most people had continued with their ordinary lives.

Yet at this moment, throughout the vast Capital, countless soldiers and civilians stopped what they were doing.

In the streets and alleys, pedestrians came to a halt. From inns and homes, faces filled with uncertainty peered out as well.

By the Taohua River.

A lavishly dressed dancing girl held an empty flower basket and lifted her face toward the sky that had darkened in an instant. Her eyes were full of terror as she watched the countless churning clouds.

"Drip!"

Suddenly, her brow became faintly damp. She raised a hand to touch it in astonishment and murmured, "It's... raining?"

There had originally been no rain in the Capital today.

When too many cloud banks piled together, they became rain.

The clouds Lin Tuo had forcibly gathered into one place were dark and heavy, immediately brewing dense moisture. Sporadic raindrops began to fall.

They stirred endless ripples across the Taohua River.

Seems like I used a little too much force. Inside the Old House of Lishan Martial Arts School.

Lin Tuo stood beside the Sandbox, looking at the oppressive dark cloud before him, the lightning flashing within it, and the restless Capital. He could not help thinking,

Don't let this turn into a downpour and soak the Emperor and all his ministers into running away. Muttering inwardly, Lin Tuo swiftly drew back his arms and waved away part of the clouds, dissipating the torrential rain before it could take shape.

Only then did he turn his attention back to the Western Garden.

Within the Western Garden.

After Lin Tuo's cough fell from the sky, the rumbling instead grew more frequent.

Though no torrential rain fell, streaks of lightning still flashed through the darkened sky.

Then came continuous thunder.

A fine drizzle drifted down as fierce winds swept through the entire garden. The trees swayed, banners whipped wildly, and utter silence reigned. No one spoke; the lingering heavenly might still permeated the air.

"Look! The soaring banner has gone out!"

Amid the silence, someone suddenly pointed at the Altar and cried out in terror.

Everyone immediately looked over and saw that the upright banner in the bronze cauldron had long since curled up. The burning flame weakened beneath the steady rain, then went out.

In the blink of an eye, only wisps of black smoke remained.

Dead silence.

Oppression.

The great cauldron for sacrificing to the gods had been extinguished by rain. No matter how one looked at it, it carried an air of ill omen.

Especially when combined with the suddenly changing heavens...

"Could it be... the Deity is enraged?"

The thought arose in everyone's heart, and every face turned exceptionally grim.

"Celestial, quell Your anger!"

Suddenly, with a rustle, a ceremonial priest atop the Altar cried out and dropped to his knees, trembling all over.

Only then did the other ministers and the tens of thousands of citizens around them awaken as if from a dream. One after another, they fell to their knees, a magnificent sight to behold.

Even Emperor Chi was no exception.

To them, the scene before their eyes was simply too difficult to explain as coincidence. The only possibility was that they had offended the Celestial.

Yet compared to the terrified ministers, the young Emperor at the center of the Altar was the first to lift his head after bowing. Looking into the sky, fear and resolve mingled on his face.

"I do not know where we have offended divine might. I beg the Celestial to enlighten us!"

He did not understand!

Since ascending the throne, he could not claim to have worried from dawn until dusk, but he had certainly been diligent. He had reformed old abuses and swept away the Empire's decline. Though he had achieved no great feats, his conscience was clear.

He did not understand why the Celestial had sent down divine might.

His voice was not loud, and in the wind and rain, it could not carry very far. In truth, even if Lin Tuo wished to listen, he would not have heard it.

Fortunately, as a "Deity," Lin Tuo had no need to listen.

Inside Lishan Martial Arts School, Lin Tuo was not even looking toward the Altar. Instead, he lowered his head and silently stared at the rain cloud. After a moment, he raised a hand and picked up a brush he had prepared beforehand.

He dipped it in ink, then opened his left palm and slowly wrote several characters across it.

They were the writing of the Chi Kingdom.

The Tongyu Technique had not merely helped him swiftly master the spoken language of this Sandbox nation. It had also taught him its written language.

Lin Tuo's handwriting was not exceptionally good, but among ordinary people, it was already considered excellent.

It was a hand his grandfather had forced him to practice when he was young.

A moment later, Lin Tuo set down the brush and gently blew the ink dry. Then he looked toward the Sandbox Empire and murmured, "My limbs can't be seen inside the Sandbox, but the writing on my hand should be able to appear, right?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed it toward the dark clouds blanketing the Capital.

At the same time.

In the Western Garden, atop the Altar, wind and rain struck from all eight directions. The misty drizzle soaked the banners and Emperor Chi's dragon robe, yet his gaze fixed upon the heavens remained steadfast.

Even the countless bolts of Thunder within those dense clouds seemed unable to stop him.

He did not understand.

So he intended to get an answer.

"Your Majesty... you..." Below, an aged civil minister finally could not help trying to speak.

Yet before he could finish, he heard countless cries of alarm!

"Ah! Look!"

"What is that?!"

"The Celestial has manifested! The Deity has manifested!"

The cries surged like a tide from every direction of the garden. In the blink of an eye, the crowd that had been deathly still boiled over.

"What?"

The hundred officials raised their heads in astonishment and looked to the sky. The next second, every one of them, regardless of rank or age, gaped wide-mouthed and stared with bulging eyes, too stunned for words.

The churning dense clouds suddenly stirred like boiling water. Then streak after streak of dazzling golden light broke through the clouds, illuminating the earth.

The golden light was not scorching, yet it outlined a vast and strange silhouette.

And within that blurry "silhouette" were four incomparably enormous characters, as if they might hold apart heaven and earth.

Taohua River.

Rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and spilled over both banks.

The fierce wind swept peach blossoms into the sky.

Yet no one appreciated the sight.

Everyone stared blankly at the enormous words in the heavens, as though written by an immortal, overwhelmed with shock.

Quite a few people even went weak in the knees in the middle of the street, falling to their knees and kowtowing.

"What... does that say?" Some who could not read looked about in confusion, trying to ask.

Then someone answered in a trembling voice, enunciating each word:

"Saint! Emerges! From! The! Southeast!"

As the words fell, the Capital erupted.

"Saint Emerges from the Southeast!"

Western Garden.

As Lin Tuo's palm descended, the foremost civil minister also read out those four words in a trembling voice. His grizzled hair and beard were whipped by the wind, wild as weeds.

Yet his aged eyes shone with excited light.

"Saint Emerges from the Southeast!" The ceremonial official in charge of the sacrifice also loudly read the four huge words spanning the heavens.

"Saint Emerges from the Southeast!" Another minister cried excitedly, seemingly greatly stirred as he turned toward the Emperor. "Your Majesty! This... is not the Celestial's wrath! It is a divine revelation! A revelation sent down by the Celestial!"

At the center of the Altar.

Emperor Chi likewise stared blankly at the brilliantly glowing words in the sky, his heart violently shaken. Hearing this, he finally came to his senses.

That was right.

The sacrificial texts had originally been prayers to the heavens, asking for revelations and guidance for the mortal world.

The meaning of the four words "Saint Emerges from the Southeast" was exceedingly clear.

"A divine decree from the Deity—a Sage descending upon the world! Could it be... could Great Chi be about to produce a Sage?" Emperor Chi murmured, his body trembling beyond his control.

A Sage!

An ancient saying went:

Whenever great calamity struck, a Sage would emerge.

Whenever a flourishing age came, a Sage would likewise emerge.

Great Chi had known peace for a hundred years and suffered no disasters. Now that the Deity had delivered a decree, could it be that a prosperous age was about to arrive?

At this thought, Emperor Chi could no longer remain calm. He abruptly rose to his feet and gazed toward the southeast, his eyes shining as he said with barely restrained excitement:

"A divine decree has descended! Heaven blesses the Chi Kingdom! Imperial Guards, heed my command! Prepare the carriage. Follow me to the southeast to seek out and invite the Sage!"

"Yes!"

At once, banners fluttered, and blades and spears stood thick as a forest.

No one noticed that amid the ocean of people beneath the Altar, a smiling young man had vanished.

Operation Log:

Dachi Dynasty, spring of the five hundred and sixty-first year. At the Sacrifice to the Gods Ceremony, the Deity manifested. Wind and clouds suddenly swept together, scattering the peach blossoms of an entire city.

The following day, the ruler issued an edict, shaking the world.

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P.S.: The author fell down, boohoo. Only recommendation votes can get me back up~