Hall Debate, Battle Across the Water, the Embryonic Form of a Nether Star

Chaotic scenes flashed endlessly in the long river, manifesting fragments, each with the potential to materialize!

The person who emerged from Qiu Yan's eyes stood in the middle of the river, as immovable as a mountain. This person was surrounded by a pale yellow light, exuding an aura of majesty. He wore a gray robe, his hair was like fire, and he held a tower in one hand, with two dragons wrapped around it. A Copper Furnace flew out from behind him, with a lid on it. The person turned around and sat on the Copper Furnace.

When the Copper Furnace was dropped into Copper Furnace water, the river water that touched its surface immediately boiled and evaporated into steam that scattered in all directions. But deep within that steam, images flashed by, sometimes depicting grand discussions in the imperial court, sometimes showing ten thousand horses galloping.

"It's actually a Second Grade deity! My apologies..."

Opposite, in the dim sunlight, a figure gradually appeared, but it was a blurry human shape, completely wrapped in a black robe and covered by a hood, making it impossible to see the face. The person's aura was ethereal and uncertain, without any sense of reality.

However, as soon as the figure in black robes appeared, the surrounding dim sunlight suddenly shifted and bombarded him!

But on the opposite side, the deity sitting in the furnace raised his hand and waved it, causing the surrounding water vapor to gather there, forming layers of steam barriers that blocked out the light!

But the moment the light touched the steam, the light and shadow shifted, and the light transformed into a beam of Spiritual Light that merged into the steam. Deep within the steam was a grand palace, where an emperor sat high on his throne, yet was invaded by this Spiritual Light. Then, the emperor smiled and said, "I intend to reform the bureaucracy of the dynasty in order to establish an unparalleled empire."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire temple was thrown into turmoil, and the steam barrier looked like it was about to collapse.

Just then, a wisp of steam transformed into Spiritual Light and landed on a minister. The minister immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the emperor, and said, "To establish a great empire, we fear we lack capable rulers. I have repeatedly advised Your Majesty to make preparations, but Your Majesty has consistently refused to listen."

The emperor's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he angrily said, "Our country may be small, but how can you say that our officials are incomplete?"

The minister, showing no fear, solemnly replied, "When the late king was alive, when he was lax in his duties, Xi Peng assisted him; when his close advisors made mistakes, Xian Ning corrected them; when the farmland was neglected, Ning Qi rectified it; when the soldiers were lazy and complacent, Wangzi Chengfu tempered them..."

After a torrent of words, the emperor was rendered speechless by the rebuttal. Then, the emperor shuddered, and the invading Spiritual Light shattered instantly!

The steam barrier was fully formed, and the dim sunlight was blocked and scattered in all directions!

On the other side, the man in black robes cupped his hands in greeting, then a laugh came from his hood, "Unexpectedly, this top scholar of Great Rui has already been chosen by you, fellow Daoist. However, since I am here, this man's fate will naturally be mine."

As soon as he finished speaking, the furnace-sitting deity, floating in the steam, shook his head and asked, "What is your origin, daring to intrude into my Domain of Law? If you don't explain your reasons, this matter cannot be resolved peacefully."

"Oh? Even I don't know?" The black-robed man was slightly surprised upon hearing this. Two beams of light shot out from his hood, and the chaotic aura of spacetime around him grew stronger. Dark rays of sunlight roared in, twisting and turning in the air, and shot towards the seated deity with great speed, like a general charging into battle!

Twisted! Twisted! Twisted!

The scenery along the path of the light was distorted, as if time were flowing backward. The deity sitting in the furnace below raised his hand and pointed. The long river roared away, carrying fragments of history, crashing through and blocking the dim sunlight from going any further. But the man in black robes just chuckled when he saw this.

"A mere river, if it has a million-strong army, can be cut down with a whip!"

As soon as the words fell, the dim sunlight met the long river, and the light changed, extending along the way and indeed transforming into a million-strong army. The leader was clad in armor, with a majestic appearance, and his body was surrounded by the Fortune of the five directions. A phantom image of a lice catcher was faintly visible around him, and his Fortune like a rainbow. Behind him, the army was in perfect formation, and at his command, thousands responded!

Then they rode their horses across the river!

Splash!

The river water splashed everywhere, blurring the past, as if it were about to twist the long river and break free!

But in the end, a high mountain suddenly rose up to the east of the long river. On the mountain, a man in Sword of All Beings sleeves, who was playing the zither and singing, stopped playing the zither, stood up and straightened his clothes. Then he took a step and was already outside the mountain. The long river manifested as a vast land, and the thoughts of millions of people gathered together and turned into a sword for all living beings. The man held it in his hand and then handed it to a heroic man wearing armor.

A valiant man raised the sword high as he emerged from the Northern Prefecture, leading 80,000 elite troops up the river. His body radiated a dazzling light, like a candle flame about to burn out.

This army, like a sharp arrow, pierced straight at the million-strong army on the opposite bank, tearing them apart and causing the five Fortune shatter and split.

The Fortune was so great that even plants and trees transformed into soldiers, ambushing along the way.

The million-strong army crumbled, degenerated into dim sunlight, and finally vanished, submerged in the long river.

Outside, the gray-robed man raised his hand and seemed to grasp some aura from the air. He then nodded and smiled, "So that's how it is. Your status as a second-grade deity is not complete. Your Netherworld Domain has not formed an avatar. What is before me is merely a projection. I suppose you haven't been promoted for long. No wonder you don't know my origins."

"Hmm?" The deity sitting by the furnace was quite surprised. "Judging from your words, the Donghua Deity should know about you, right?"

"That's right, but since Donghua Star Lord is not here right now, there are many things I haven't been able to explain to you clearly. Second Grade deities can partially leave the Heavenly Court, unlike those below the Third Grade, so they can already know many things. However, since Star Lord is not here, other deities probably won't tell you, so some misunderstandings are to be expected. East Flower Continent is not exclusively owned by the Divine Path; this has long been established. The struggle between the Central Plains and the surrounding areas involves many factors and is a grand game of chess..."

The man in black robes had already revealed a great deal, yet he showed no sign of backing down. As he spoke, he chuckled lightly, "However, with your Divine Grade, knowing this is enough. You are not qualified for me to explain in detail, let alone try to extract information from me. I have told you a great deal; you should be satisfied." With that, he waved his hand.

Whoosh!

The sun suddenly blazed up that day, and the sunlight shone brightly!

The dim sunlight scattered in all directions, obscuring every Four Horns. Even the flowing river could not completely block it. The sunlight curved and twisted, like whips lashing at the Divine Spirit Body sitting in the furnace. The deity shuddered, and colors scattered, like an ink painting being soaked in water, gradually disappearing.

After the river lost its control, the manifested landscape was stained by the dim sunlight and gradually changed color. In the center of the landscape, in front of the Golden Hall, a man wearing a dragon robe, with a cup of wine scattered and white hair, plunged into the Sea of Fire.

The Imperial City family's surnames have changed, and the vast empire has changed hands!

The last vestiges of color have been forced to the southern cliff.

"Without the Domain of Law, projecting across realms is not an easy task under the Heavenly Court's control, let alone using a projection to fight and defeat me..."

The man in black chuckled lightly, calmly observing everything before him, seemingly in complete control. But then, the emotional fluctuations he exuded suddenly changed.

Then, that single point of color on the southern cliff transformed into 100,000 soldiers and civilians, who turned and leaped into the water!

Then the water surface churned, and the intense People's Wishes and the will of blood sacrifice soared into the Yin-Yang, breaking through the barrier between Yin and Yang, entering the Yin-Yang Road, and arriving at the Netherworld Domain. The Domain of Law was peaceful, and all the souls were in their respective positions, but after being infected by this energy of the People's Wishes and the Fortune of blood sacrifice, it began to shake violently. Then the entire Netherworld Domain rose from the ground!

That blood sacrifice intention was created by the people of the Tulang Tribe. It was originally a trap set by Ding Chunzi, but it was aimed at the Karma Fortune led by Qiu Yan. Now it has been grafted onto the Netherworld Domain. The power of that intention as reality immediately erupted, reorganized the Domain of Law, and rose into the air.

This Second Grade deity, half-detached from the Heavenly Court, originally had a step to refine the Domain of Law into an incarnation. However, Qiu Yan's Divine Spirit Body was far away on the other side of the starry sky, making it difficult for his divine power to be transmitted. He could only rely on the remaining divine power, Divine Sense, and the Votive Thoughts believers in Donghua to slowly infiltrate the Domain of Law and gradually change it. The process was slow.

However, now that he has obtained the power of blood sacrifice, he has transformed his thoughts into reality and combined them with the power of the Divine Path itself, which has driven a change in one fell swoop. After the Domain of Law ascended into the sky, the surrounding land of the Netherworld was drawn together by the mysterious power and gathered around it, enveloping the entire Domain of Law. From a distance, it gradually formed a sphere, radiating light, and was about to rise into the sky, gathering on the River of Forgetfulness in the sky.

But with a thought from Qiu Yan, the stone sphere formed by the Netherworld Domain fell back down and sank into the ground.

Meanwhile, inside the Netherworld Sphere, the Domain of Law remained unchanged, except for a sliver of moonlight shining down, and a strange power connecting with the starry sky, transmitting towards the Zhou Rao Continent on the other side of the starry sky...

Under the dim sunlight, the man in black robes watched the Yin-Yang Road gradually close, remaining silent but his emotions fluctuating rapidly.

"What a deity! I was actually used by him, and it actually helped him. Non-Self oppressive aura, he would never have been able to tame those blood sacrifice powers so easily. He's made a mess of things..."

As he pondered this, he looked away.

"However, since this god's projection has departed, it means it has abandoned Qiu Yan, and he is no longer able to resist..." With that thought, he took a step into the air.

Everything around him had solidified, no matter the flowing air, the swaying grass, or even the falling raindrops, it was completely stagnant. It seemed that only the man in black robe could move between heaven and earth. He walked forward step by step, passing through the whirlwind of the air column without any hindrance, and came to Qiu Yan. He stretched out a finger and touched Qiu Yan's forehead. A light flashed on his fingertip, and a character floated up, which was the word "slave" in seal script!

As the words shifted, they were about to touch Qiu Yan's forehead, but Qiu Yan remained motionless, his expression unchanged, like a still painting.

"Qiu Yan's aptitude is slightly better than that of the Left Wise King. After enslaving him, give him some benefits to help him grow quickly and seize control of the Great Rui as soon as possible. Then..."

The man in black robes was still thinking when he suddenly stopped.

Across from him, Qiu Yan's eyes suddenly shifted, his gaze immediately focusing on the man in black robes!

ps:

Thank you to "Wan Xia Xia La" and "Wine-Brewing Book-Taster" for their generous donations!

Thanks to "imissher", "0-4", "sxp119", "qfhzmp", "Ye Shen 9", "Yi Feng Jian Wu", "dennislo", "Shen Ma Cao Gen You Jiang", and "Qing Tianzi" for your monthly votes!