Investiture of the Gods!
Arrogant!
Utterly arrogant!
That gentle, smiling question, like invisible ripples, spread out layer by layer across the frozen sky.
It was neither tall nor loud, neither fast nor slow, yet it was like a red-hot steel knife, piercing straight into the heart of the Hao Ran Holy Land.
It has penetrated the deepest part of the Confucian Dao orthodoxy that has been passed down for thousands of years and stands proudly above the world.
Huangfu Qianqiu's pupils contracted sharply for a moment.
On that gaunt face, the unchanging composure and tranquility of millennia finally cracked.
The Hao Ran Holy Land, the leader of the righteous path.
They had never suffered such humiliation before.
For millennia, countless demonic giants, alien prodigies, and arrogant madmen have stood outside this land, shouting at that vast golden light.
In the end, those people either turned to ashes or slunk away in disgrace.
No one has ever been able to break through that golden light.
No one has ever been so presumptuous before the All Saints and Sages of Old.
But today----
today----
Huangfu Qianqiu slowly raised his head and looked at the hundreds of phantom images of All Saints and Sages of Old in the sky.
No, there's nothing left there.
Only a single scroll of the Ming Dynasty Golden List hung before that deep blue figure, its light shimmering and shining brightly.
Deep within the eyes of the cultivators from the Hao Ran Holy Land, fury burned, causing their eye sockets to turn slightly red.
But they opened their mouths.
In the end, he couldn't utter a single word.
say what?
All Saints and Sages of Old of the past were taken down in a single move; what could they possibly say?
The foundation upon which the Hao Ran Holy Land stands proudly above the world lies in the Confucian Dao treasures that embody the spirit and essence of past True Lord and have endured through the ages.
Compared to that list of successful candidates, they're nothing but a joke!
explain?
What a load of bull!
Countless cultivators from the Hao Ran Holy Land had ashen faces, clenched fists, and their Vast Righteous Qi surging violently around them.
But the moment their gaze fell upon the scroll of golden honors, it involuntarily shifted, averted, and lowered.
No one dared to speak.
No one dared to step forward.
Because everyone knows that.
To speak now would only invite humiliation.
Dead silence.
The deathly silence was so thick, so thick, that it seemed to freeze the entire world within it.
Within the demonic faction, countless gazes fell upon the lifeless righteous cultivator, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was mockery, schadenfreude, disbelief, and a hint of awe that even they themselves were unaware of.
Once upon a time, whenever they encountered cultivators from the Hao Ran Holy Land, wouldn't they all take a detour?
Which one wasn't filled with dread?
That Vast Righteous Qi is the natural nemesis of demonic forces, and it is the very thing they least want to face.
But now----
That lofty and supreme leader of the righteous path, that Hao Ran Holy Land that has instilled fear in them for millennia.
Before that deep blue figure, before that scroll of golden list, they could only remain silent.
Like lambs to the slaughter.
"Oh----"
A soft laugh broke the deathly silence.
The laughter was so soft, almost imperceptible.
But that gentle smile caused all the righteous cultivators to freeze for a moment.
Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back, the smile on his lips slowly widening.
Then-
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
A hearty laugh burst forth from his throat!
The laughter was clear, cheerful, and unrestrained, like a long wind sweeping across the entire sky!
It pierced through the solidified gale, through the deathly silence, through every frozen figure, and through the depths of every cultivator's mind!
The laughter contained joy, relief, and the satisfaction of finally having waited for this day.
There is also a kind of arrogance that chills all righteous cultivators to the bone!
But it was this arrogant laughter that made the cultivators of the Hao Ran Holy Land turn red in the face, yet none of them dared to utter a word in rebuttal.
Because they know -
They have the right to be arrogant.
Qi Yun's laughter gradually subsided.
He lowered his eyes, gazing at the bright golden list in his hand, and at the hundreds of illusory All Saints and Sages of Old standing silently on the list. A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
Then he raised his hand and tossed it!
He tossed that scroll of the Investiture of the Gods high into the air!
"Whoa--!!!"
The list of successful candidates soars into the sky, unfurling in the wind!
The scroll, which was originally only a foot long, suddenly expanded in size the instant it took off!
Ten zhang, a hundred zhang, a thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang!
Ultimately, it transformed into a magnificent, boundless golden list that stretched across the sky!
Above the golden list, a dazzling yellow light shines forth!
Within that light, the hundreds of illusory figures of the All Saints and Sages of Old included in the list now appeared!
They remained with bowed heads and downcast eyes, still solemn and dignified, still radiating Vast Righteous Qi that has endured through the ages.
But at this moment, their positions have subtly changed.
No longer scattered, independent phantoms, but slowly rotating around a certain point.
Like stars surrounding the North Star, like officials paying homage to their king!
The rotation grew faster and faster, until it merged into one!
"Buzz-!!!"
An indescribable tremor erupted from the center of the golden list!
Amidst the tremor, the hundreds of illusory figures of All Saints and Sages of Old began to merge together!
The phantom of an old man transformed into a beam of white light and disappeared into the center;
The phantom of a middle-aged scholar transformed into a streak of blue light and followed closely behind;
The phantom of an elderly woman, now frail and aged, transformed into a beam of purple light and merged into it;
The phantom image of a scholar-general standing with a sword transformed into a golden light and merged into the torrent.
One after another, and another...
Hundreds of beams of white, blue, purple, and gold light, like rivers flowing into the sea, surged together into a single point in the center of the golden list!
Within that single point, the light grew ever brighter, ever more intense, and ever more solid!
Finally, after the last illusory image had completely merged into it, a figure slowly emerged from the dazzling light!
It was a figure that defied description.
He was dressed in a simple Confucian robe, embroidered with the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, plants, birds, and animals.
Those are the twelve ancient symbols of Confucian Dao, a supreme honor that only sages and saints are worthy of.
His face was initially blurry, as if shrouded in thick fog, making it difficult to see clearly.
But with each step he took, the blurry face became clearer.
With one step, a gentle, spring-like gaze appeared in his eyes, yet as deep as an ancient well, as if containing the wisdom of all sages throughout history.
Two steps, and the bridge of the nose appears. The high and straight nose is like a mountain, representing responsibility, backbone, and the indomitable spirit of Confucian Dao in upholding one's principles in the world.
Three steps, her lips were slightly pursed, holding a faint smile, a smile that contained compassion and insight.
Four steps, five steps, six steps----
The moment he took his ninth step and completely stepped out of that dazzling light!
His face was now completely clear.
He appeared to be a middle-aged Confucian scholar.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a composed demeanor, he naturally exudes a Confucian and Confucian Dao aura that is as gentle as jade yet as vast as the sea.
He stood there quietly in the void, as if he were the embodiment of Confucian Dao themselves.
Countless gazes fell upon this figure, their eyes filled with indescribable shock.
That aura----
That aura was so pure, so pure, that it seemed not to have been cultivated later, but rather to have been born and grown together with Confucian Dao and Daoism Innate birth!
The aura was so vast that all the Confucian Dao cultivators present felt an urge to worship that originated from the depths of their Divine Soul!
Qi Yun slightly raised his eyes, gazing at the quietly standing figure in the scholar's robe, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
He raised his hand and gently beckoned.
The Investiture of the Gods, which had been hanging in the sky, transformed into a stream of Flowing Light and fell into his palm, reforming into a scroll about a foot long.
He held the Investiture of the Gods, gazed at that figure, and slowly spoke.
The voice was not loud, yet it was like a divine decree descending to earth, like a universal law, clearly reaching the ears of every living being: "I hereby confer upon—"
He paused slightly, and deep within his vast, azure-gold eyes, it seemed as if boundless Dao was surging, and the Principle of heaven and earth were coalescing. "Zhong Youzhi, is—"
"Sacred Yuan Wenqu Star Lord!"
"Controlling the literary tradition, establishing the foundation of poetry and books, and safeguarding the destiny of Confucian Dao and Daoism!"
"Eternal and unyielding, forever guarding the Xuanhuang!"
The imperial decree, like thunder from the heavens, resounded with a deafening roar!
"Boom!!!"
The heavens and earth suddenly erupted in an indescribable, violent tremor!
The tremor did not come from the earth, nor from the sky, but from— the the Unseen!
From that supreme dimension—higher than the Foundation Establishment Heaven, farther than the Long River of Time, and more fundamental than all existence—[The All Wonders Heaven]!
An indescribable aura descended from the All Wonders Heaven with a thunderous roar!
That aura was majestic, vast, and ancient, as if it contained the essence of all cultural traditions, literary traditions, and the ways of sages since the beginning of time!
It just shot down straight down, unstoppable.
The image was projected onto the newly formed figure in the Confucian robe!
"Buzz-!!!"
The figure, who had been bestowed the title of "Sacred Yuan Wenqu Star Lord," shone with brilliant light!
Within that light, countless numbers appeared.
That is everything that Confucian Dao and Daoism have inherited for thousands of years, everything that has continued the cultural lineage, and everything that countless sages have devoted their lives to condensing!
And within this Infinite Light...
An indescribable, mysterious entity, seemingly formed from pure words and boundless energy, slowly descended from the All Wonders Heaven and landed between the figure's brows!
That existence, shaped like an ancient scroll, yet ethereal and intangible; its color like warm jade, yet radiant and dazzling; it contains a kind of...
Only True Lord deserves to possess a title that hangs high above the Long River of Time!
Below, within the Hao Ran Holy Land camp.
Huangfu Qianqiu froze completely.
The unchanging composure and tranquility on his lean face shattered completely at this moment. In its place was an expression he had never shown before in his entire life.
Astonished.
Incredible astonishment.
He gazed at the figure bestowed with imperial decree in the sky, at the mysterious being descending from the All Wonders Heaven, his lips trembling violently, and a hoarse sound emanating from his throat.
a long time.
a long time.
He finally uttered a few words, his voice so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable: "This is—"
"[Wenqu Fruition Status]?!"
The moment the words left his Hao Ran Holy Land fell into a deathly silence.
The deathly silence was thicker, heavier, and more despairing than before.