The Emperor Welcomed Him Beyond the City, and They Rode the Dragon Carriage Together!

Sixth Ancestor and Dharma Image Saint Venerable faced off, the saintly might around them erupting at the same time.

The auras of two Mid-stage Ninth-Rank Martial Saints collided, scattering the surrounding clouds!

A suffocating pressure filled the air.

They looked ready to strike at the slightest disagreement!

Lin Changqing frowned as he watched them.

If this deadlock continued, they might truly come to blows.

He stepped forward, and the saintly might of a Martial Saint Peak burst forth from his body.

Purple-gold light erupted from within him, crushing outward in tangible waves.

That overwhelming pressure directly suppressed the auras of both Sixth Ancestor and Dharma Image Saint Venerable.

Like a great mountain bearing down on two tiny flames.

"Stop."

Lin Changqing's voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

Dharma Image Saint Venerable's expression changed instantly.

Feeling the boundless saintly might pressing down upon him, his pupils abruptly contracted.

This aura... was not Early Martial Saint Stage!

Not Mid Martial Saint Stage!

Nor was it even Late Martial Saint Stage!

This was a genuine Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak!

And merely the pressure he radiated was enough to completely suppress his aura, leaving him not even the slightest room to resist.

This was absolutely not the level of someone who had only just broken through to Martial Saint Peak.

This man's strength placed him among the foremost experts even at Martial Saint Peak!

Stormy waves rose within Dharma Image Saint Venerable's heart.

The information he had received earlier said that Evergreen Saint Venerable was a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, but his exact cultivation realm had been unknown.

By common sense, he had assumed that a reclusive Martial Saint who had only just emerged into the world was most likely in the Early Martial Saint Stage.

At most, Mid Martial Saint Stage.

Even if he were beaten to death, he never would have imagined that he was a Martial Saint Peak!

No wonder that old Boundless Saint Emperor had arrived in Green Province yesterday and even made the trip himself.

He must have known long ago.

And he must have offered heaven-shattering terms to win this man over!

Dharma Image Saint Venerable suppressed the shock in his heart. The way he looked at Lin Changqing had completely changed.

Before, it had been recruitment. Now, it was reverence.

Lin Changqing looked at him, his tone calm.

"Dharma Image Saint Venerable, I appreciate your goodwill. However, you came too late. I have already decided to join the Great Yu Dynasty. Please return."

Dharma Image Saint Venerable fell silent for a moment.

The other party had already made his stance clear. If he continued pestering him, he would be failing to recognize what was good for him.

Besides, the Great Yu Dynasty had surely paid a tremendous price to recruit this man. The terms they offered were definitely far beyond what the Myriad Laws Sect could provide.

No matter how much more he offered, he could not compete.

"Since that is the case, then I shall not disturb you further."

Dharma Image Saint Venerable cupped his hands toward Lin Changqing in salute, his tone far more respectful than before.

"Evergreen Saint Venerable, until we meet again. The Myriad Laws Sect will always welcome you as a guest."

With that, he tore open space once more, his figure vanishing into the Spatial Rift.

He left cleanly and decisively, without further entanglement.

Sixth Ancestor snorted as he looked at the spot where Dharma Image Saint Venerable had disappeared.

"At least he knew his place."

He turned to Lin Changqing, and the anger on his face instantly faded, replaced by gratitude.

"Thank you, Evergreen Saint Venerable, for speaking up to defuse the situation just now."

Lin Changqing waved a hand.

"Boundless Saint Emperor, you are too polite. Since I have promised to join the Great Yu Dynasty, I naturally would not break my word over a few words from someone else."

His expression was frank and his tone resolute as he spoke.

Sixth Ancestor felt utterly pleased, and Lin Changqing became more pleasing to his eyes by the moment.

Not only was Evergreen Saint Venerable's cultivation unfathomable, his character was also first-rate.

His word carried the weight of nine tripods; once he spoke, he would fulfill it.

Such an expert was worthy of the Great Yu Dynasty's full efforts to befriend!

He sighed inwardly and praised him several more times aloud.

Lin Changqing nodded and said no more.

But inwardly, he muttered to himself.

The Myriad Laws Sect's terms were far inferior to those of the Great Yu Dynasty. He was not an idiot; of course he knew which one to choose.

Naturally, he would not say that to their faces.

The two continued tearing through space as they hurried toward the Capital City.

Meanwhile, several hundred miles away.

Dharma Image Saint Venerable stepped out of the void and landed atop an unnamed mountain peak.

With his hands behind his back, he gazed in the direction Lin Changqing and Sixth Ancestor had departed.

Although he had left crisply and decisively just now, he had not actually gone far.

He was recalling that terrifying saintly might.

Martial Saint Peak...

He understood the weight of those four words better than anyone.

Although the Myriad Laws Sect was one of the three great sects, their strongest Supreme Ancestor was only a Late Martial Saint.

If Evergreen Saint Venerable had merely been an Early or Mid Martial Saint—even if he had been a Late Martial Saint like their Supreme Ancestor—they would have been confident of keeping him under control.

At most, they would have needed to use gentler methods.

After all, the Myriad Laws Sect's foundation of several thousand years stood there. If they truly deployed every method at their disposal, suppressing a Late Martial Saint would not have been a problem.

But Martial Saint Peak... that was an existence on another level.

Even if they had paid an enormous price to recruit such an expert into their sect, they would have had no way to control him.

If Evergreen Saint Venerable harbored any ulterior intentions and turned guest into host, seizing the Myriad Laws Sect's foundation, they would have had no way to stop him.

Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if Evergreen Saint Venerable had no ulterior motives, they would not dare order him about lightly.

It would be like inviting an ancestor home to worship.

It was not that they did not want to; they truly could not control him.

The more Dharma Image Saint Venerable thought about it, the more convinced he became that his decision had been right.

The Great Yu imperial family was different.

They possessed profound foundations, with Grand Profound Saint Ancestor, a veteran Martial Saint Peak, holding the fort, along with more than a dozen other Martial Saints.

Even if a Martial Saint Peak joined them, he could not stir up much of a storm.

Instead, he could check and balance Grand Profound Saint Ancestor.

That was the confidence of a great power. He had no choice but to acknowledge it.

"Alas... in the end, our strength falls short..."

Dharma Image Saint Venerable let out a long sigh and took out a Sound Transmission Talisman from his sleeve.

Spiritual Power flowed into it, and the talisman paper lit up.

"Evergreen Saint Venerable's true cultivation is Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak. He has already been recruited by the Great Yu imperial family. I failed and am currently returning to the sect."

After sending the message, he gave one last look in the direction Lin Changqing had left before tearing open space again and departing.

Over the remainder of the journey.

Lin Changqing and Sixth Ancestor encountered two more groups.

Sword Dust Saint Venerable of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Hundred Herbs Saint Venerable of Medicine God Valley were both Mid Martial Saints.

They had both rushed over after receiving the news, hoping to recruit him.

All three first-rate powers within the Great Yu Dynasty had appeared.

Like Dharma Image Saint Venerable, they had assumed Lin Changqing was merely an ordinary Early Martial Saint, and the terms they offered were about the same as those of the Myriad Laws Sect.

But when Lin Changqing released the saintly might of Martial Saint Peak, both Saint Venerables' expressions changed.

After their shock, they wisely chose to take their leave.

Their misgivings were exactly the same as Dharma Image Saint Venerable's. They could not afford to house such a great Buddha as a Martial Saint Peak.

The Great Yu Dynasty could afford it because they had Grand Profound Saint Ancestor, an ancestor at the same level, overseeing them.

As for those second-rate sects and factions, not a single one appeared.

Those forces did not even possess Martial Saints. Their strongest members were merely Eighth-Rank Grandmaster Peaks.

It was not that they did not wish to recruit him; they simply knew their own limits.

A Ninth-Rank Martial Saint was not someone they could possibly recruit.

Forget offering terms—they were not even qualified to meet him.

Moreover, they feared that making too much of a move would draw the Great Yu Dynasty's attention. Then, not only would they gain no benefit, but they would also offend the imperial court.

The loss would outweigh the gain.

At noon.

Si Province, thirty miles outside the Capital City.

A broad official road was already packed with people.

A golden royal honor guard stretched from the entrance of the official road all the way to a temporarily constructed reception platform. Banners fluttered, and colored ribbons danced in the wind.

Three thousand elite Imperial Guards stood in ranks along both sides, their armor gleaming and their blades and spears bristling.

Every face was filled with solemnity and anticipation.

Civil and Military Officials stood according to rank, from first-rank ministers to ninth-rank minor officials, a vast sea of heads filling the view.

At the front of the procession stood a bright yellow canopy.

Beneath it stood a middle-aged man clad in a dragon robe.

The Emperor of Great Yu—Su Gan.

Beside him stood several elderly men with profound auras, all Eighth-Rank Grandmaster retainers of the Su Clan imperial family.

Behind them stood the Crown Prince, along with several princes and princesses.

Everyone was waiting.

From dawn until noon, not a single person showed impatience.

After reading the message Sixth Ancestor had sent yesterday, Su Gan had been so excited that he could barely sit still.

Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak!

A peerless expert in the same realm as Grand Profound Saint Ancestor!

And he had already agreed to join the Great Yu Dynasty!

Su Gan had summoned the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department overnight, personally arranging today's welcoming ceremony.

The scale had to meet the highest standard. There could not be the slightest neglect.

Su Gan adjusted his dragon robe and quietly asked the eunuch beside him, "What time is it?"

"Reporting to His Majesty, it is the third quarter of the noon hour."

At that moment, a ripple came from the distant sky.

Two Spatial Rifts tore open at once.

Purple-gold radiance and silver-white radiance reflected against one another as two figures stepped from the void.

They were Lin Changqing and Sixth Ancestor.

Su Gan's eyes lit up, and he immediately strode forward.

The hundred officials followed close behind, while the honor guard struck up ceremonial music.

From high in the sky, Lin Changqing looked down at the honor guard stretching for miles below and the densely packed crowds.

Gongs and drums shook the heavens, banners fluttered, and three thousand Imperial Guards raised their spears in salute as one.

The display was truly no small matter.

"Such a grand reception?"

Sixth Ancestor explained with a chuckle, "Naturally, an ordinary Ninth-Rank Martial Saint retainer entering the capital would not receive such a grand display."

"But you are different, Evergreen Saint Venerable. You are the second Martial Saint Peak retainer since the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty."

"In the eyes of His Majesty and this old man, your status stands equal to Grand Profound Saint Ancestor's. Such ceremony is only proper."

With that, he was the first to descend from the sky.

Lin Changqing also retracted his aura and landed beside him.

Su Gan hurried forward, his face full of smiles.

"This must be Evergreen Saint Venerable! I have long admired your great name within the palace. Now that I see you today, you truly possess extraordinary bearing, like a heavenly being descending to the mortal world!"

He cupped his hands, his tone warm yet respectful.

"Upon emerging into the world, Saint Venerable slew countless demons in Green Province and saved tens of thousands of my Great Yu citizens from the depths of suffering. For such immense merit, I, on behalf of Great Yu's countless people, offer my thanks to Saint Venerable!"

He bowed slightly to Lin Changqing.

There were few people in the world who could make the ruler of a nation bend at the waist and salute before the public.

The Civil and Military Officials behind him had eyes full of awe and curiosity.

Was this the Evergreen Saint Venerable? He looked so young.

Yet no one dared to underestimate him.

The fact that His Majesty had personally left the city to welcome him thirty miles away, with the Sixth Ancestor accompanying him the entire way, was proof enough in itself.

Lin Changqing looked at the amiable emperor before him, then swept his gaze over the Civil and Military Officials behind him, each wearing a different expression.

Everyone looked at him with awe.

It came from the depths of their bones—reverence for absolute strength.

Lin Changqing's expression remained calm as he gave a slight nod and helped him up.

"Your Majesty is too courteous."

His tone was neither servile nor overbearing, neither arrogant nor excessively humble.

Su Gan nodded to himself.

This Evergreen Saint Venerable truly possessed extraordinary bearing, just as the Sixth Ancestor had said.

He turned slightly and made an inviting gesture.

"Saint Venerable, you have traveled a long way. I have prepared a welcoming banquet in the palace. Please join the Sixth Ancestor and me in the Dragon Carriage, and let us enter the city together!"

The Dragon Carriage was the emperor's exclusive conveyance. Allowing an outsider to ride in it was an honor as immense as the heavens.

Lin Changqing did not decline. With a slight nod, he boarded the Dragon Carriage together with Su Gan and the Boundless Saint Emperor.

"Return to the palace!"

The eunuch's shrill voice rang across the entire scene. Gongs and drums thundered in unison, and ceremonial music shook the heavens.

Three thousand Imperial Guards cleared the way, while the Civil and Military Officials followed in procession.

The mighty procession set off along the official road toward the Capital City.

The roadsides were packed with citizens who had rushed over upon hearing the news, a sea of people stretching as far as the eye could see.

"I heard that the Evergreen Saint Venerable is joining our Great Yu! His Majesty personally went out of the city to welcome him!"

"Exactly! This Saint Venerable slew dozens of Demon Kings in Green Province! The Demons over there have practically been wiped out by him!"

"Long live His Majesty! Long live the Saint Venerable!"