Martial God Leian

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

During that time, news of Leian becoming a god first spread among Saint Realm experts, then swiftly spread across the entire Youquan Continent through their families and disciples.

Becoming a god within a century!

Or, more precisely, becoming a god in half a century!

Such terrifying talent would undoubtedly rank first in a million years.

Before Leian had even made a move, he had already become the object of admiration for nearly all young people.

Then, today, another piece of news shocked the entire continent:

Upon the former territories of the Byron Empire and half of the Beni Empire, a new empire—the "Leian Empire"—was officially established.

One could tell from its name that this newborn empire belonged to Lord Leian.

At the same time, a sect called the "Martial God Hall" began spreading throughout the newly established Leian Empire.

Leian had agonized over the sect's name for a long time before ultimately choosing the title "Martial God." Although he always felt O'Brien had cheapened that title somewhat, Leian truly had no better choice.

After all, it would hardly do to name it after "Destruction." That name made it sound like a villainous organization.

Originally, the title "War God" would have been the most fitting, but the plane already had Andrew, the "Yulan War God." It would not do to steal someone else's title.

Thus, from that day onward, Leian became "Martial God Leian"!

As for the newborn Leian Empire, Leian divided its entire territory into sixteen provinces. He stationed one Saint Realm expert in each provincial capital, while also establishing a Martial God Hall and Martial God Academy there.

These Saint Realm experts had all been recruited by Xilmon. They had promised to faithfully serve as bishops of the Martial God Hall for three hundred years.

And Leian's reward for them was:

He would guide them once every hundred years, and after three hundred years, he would select the three strongest among the sixteen as his disciples.

The reward seemed quite generous, but the tasks they had to accomplish were numerous as well.

For instance, while the Saint Realm bishops of the Martial God Hall were responsible for spreading the faith, they also had to recruit high-level warriors or magi themselves and send them to every county city to establish branch halls of the Martial God Hall.

As for the purpose of the Martial God Academy, there was no need to elaborate. Its teachers were likewise recruited by the various Saint Realm experts, while its students were primarily recommended by the branch halls in each county city.

To better discover gifted children and, in the future, form a faction of experts centered around the Martial God, every branch hall had to test believers' talents free of charge each year.

At the same time, Leian also introduced the scholarship and financial aid systems from his previous life.

Once this entire system was in place, Leian firmly believed that before long, the name "Martial God Leian" would be deeply imprinted in the mind of every citizen of the empire.

This would bring him an endless stream of faith power.

As for the former Byron imperial family, although they had lost the throne, Leian did not wipe them out. He even granted them a province.

The new empire's capital, however, was moved by Leian to a medium-sized city at the border between the former Byron Empire and Beni Empire. After expanding it, Leian renamed it Wuhun City.

He chose this place because Wuhun City lay beside the largest branch of the Youquan Mountain Range, with a continuous stretch of towering mountains directly east of the city outskirts.

Leian renamed the highest peak Wuhun Mountain as his secluded cultivation site. At its foot, he also constructed a cluster of palaces to serve as the headquarters of the Martial God sect.

Xilmon served as the pontiff of the main hall.

Because Xilmon had completed his task exceptionally well, Leian had already accepted him as his eldest disciple.

Since the Martial God Hall's establishment, Leian had entrusted all development of the sect to this eldest disciple. In this great world where personal might ruled, a change of dynasty did not cause much turmoil.

Indeed, because of the existence of Leian, the "Martial God," everyone considered it only natural.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, thirty years quietly passed.

Empire, outside Wuhun City

On the broad avenue leading to the provincial capital, carriages and people flowed endlessly. Every person who came to Wuhun City, the imperial capital, would gaze eagerly and fervently toward Wuhun Mountain, which towered into the clouds to the east.

Everyone knew that Wuhun Mountain was where Lord Martial God cultivated in seclusion. Rumor had it that, if one was lucky enough, one could see the sword aura released while Lord Martial God cultivated.

It was said that the sword aura stretched hundreds of zhang, and when it appeared, it was as though the Heavenly Sword had descended. Wind and clouds scattered, space shattered—it was incomparably terrifying.

There were even rumors that ninth-rank warriors had entered the Saint Realm merely by observing the sword aura.

These legends not only deeply ingrained the Martial God's strength in the hearts of the people, but also turned Wuhun Mountain into a holy land of the Leian Empire, and even the entire Youquan Continent.

What no one knew was that Leian had deliberately created that sword aura in order to fabricate divine signs and spread faith.

At that moment, atop Wuhun Mountain

The original mountaintop had been sliced away by Leian's sword, leaving behind a flat Yuntai Platform several dozen meters across.

At the center of the platform stood a majestic, ancient purple palace. Above its gates hung a black plaque bearing the two bold, sweeping characters: "Martial God."

Behind the great hall, Leian stood silently in black robes, holding the divine sword Guixu.

Behind him stood the magnificent Wuhun City, while before him stretched endless mountain ridges. Amid those layers of peaks, near Wuhun Mountain, a quiet emerald lake rippled in the breeze.

This lake had not originally existed. Around a dozen years earlier, while Leian was deducing a killing move, he had failed to fully control his sword aura, causing it to strike this place. In an instant, it destroyed the rocks, trees, and grass across more than a dozen li, leaving behind a massive pit dozens of zhang deep.

Afterward, spring water surged up from below, gradually forming this vast lake.

The mountain wind brushed his face. After standing still for a long time, Leian suddenly moved. The long, black blade of Guixu abruptly glimmered with hazy black light. Wherever the blade passed, space trembled without end, and invisible spatial ripples spread in every direction.

As time passed, the sword intent around Leian continuously rose. When it could rise no further, the blade abruptly halted. In that instant, eight nearly tangible streaks of black sword aura flew out like arrows released from a bow, shooting toward the lake ahead with lightning speed.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Where the sword aura passed, hair-thin spatial cracks writhed and drifted like silkworms. The instant the sword aura struck the lake's surface, the water silently turned into elemental essence. In a single moment, eight hollows several meters wide, each like a giant bowl, appeared on the lake.

The remaining sword aura rampaged wildly within those "bowls." Only after several breaths did the hollows fill with lake water again.

"Hoo!"

Leian sheathed his sword and stood still, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air. Recalling that last strike, he nodded in satisfaction. Yet as if he had thought of something, his expression suddenly darkened.

After cultivating in seclusion for thirty years, he had advanced another step in his comprehension of the Destruction Rule. That move had been his strongest sword strike so far, and it was also proof that he had perfectly mastered his own strength.

Yet if he were to use that sword strike as his trump card, Leian vaguely felt that it was still not quite enough. As for the exact reason, he could not explain it. He simply felt that the application of the Destruction Rule could still be taken a step further.

But as for how exactly to do that, he had no clue.