Chapter 176: Chapter 147: The Military Saint’s Rules, The Division of the Upper Three Realms, Li Sheng’s Deal

The Great Yan Imperial Capital.

Many commoners and Cultivators looked up at the Imperial City, where Sword Qi was piercing the heavens. They stared in bewilderment, wondering what was happening.

Ning Tomb’s figure hovered above a sea of brilliant Golden Light and clouds. His eyes were sharp as he surveyed his surroundings and sneered.

“I, Ning Tomb, may just be a sword-forger, and I don’t have any great wisdom. I’m nothing compared to the Five Confucian Saints. But killing a few old bastards who don’t follow the rules? What’s so hard about that?”

“Listen up, everyone! In this Central Plains World, among all the nations, if any Dynasty dares to shelter that old bastard Xun Yu, if any power dares to use his teachings, then as long as I, Ning Tomb, am still around, I will shatter your Dragon Veins to pieces and smash your skulls in! Your fate will be the same as Nan Zhou’s. Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

As soon as these words were spoken, they were transmitted through the Three Major Incense Temples—Wenchang Pavilion, the Golden Body Temples, and the City God Temples. Spoken through the mouths of Golden Stone Statues, the message reached the capital cities of every major Dynasty, as well as the Golden Body Temples in countless states and counties. The words were filled with a murderous, threatening warning.

The entire Central Plains World now knew the name Xun Yu. They also learned of a Saint with heaven-piercing killing intent who was not to be provoked.

Meanwhile, the grand square at the foot of Changle Palace had been stomped on so hard by the Military Saint that a giant spiderweb of cracks had spread across its surface.

The grand banquet had dispersed, and Lu Mingyuan and Luo Ying had also left the scene.

Only the Imperial Guard remained, mobilized throughout the Imperial City, hurriedly searching for Lu Yunwan.

This turmoil was originally set in motion by Lu Yunwan himself, but it was now clear that Xun Yu had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes. How to assign blame in the end would be a very complicated matter.

At the very least, they had to get him under control first.

In an alleyway within the Imperial City, Luo Ying stepped into the darkness, her form reverting to its original appearance. Her cool and aloof demeanor remained unchanged as she retied her ponytail, revealing a full, fair forehead.

Lu Mingyuan followed behind her, the scene of the Military Saint’s attack replaying in his mind. He couldn’t shake it off.

’So this is how powerful the Upper Three Realms can be.’

At first, he had thought the Fisherman Tributor of the Twelfth Realm was already incredibly strong, capable of instantly killing a ferocious three-thousand-year-old Dragon Soul.

But after seeing the Military Saint in action, he truly understood that there was always someone stronger.

Without relying on any external items, a Cultivator alone could command the winds and clouds, destroying a nation’s fortune with a flick of their finger.

At the same time, he also realized that even someone as powerful as the Military Saint could not do whatever he pleased.

’From what Xun Yu had said, this Military Saint seemed to have committed some great taboo, creating a Drawing Prison for himself for three hundred years, hiding within the Confucian Temple.’

’If he breaks the rules, he’ll be condemned by the Three Religions’ Saints working together?’

It wasn’t his place to worry about how things would develop from here.

He was simply extremely curious about the mysterious stage of the Upper Three Grades.

After all, he was already a Cultivator of the Middle Fifth Grade, at the Sea-Viewing Realm. He was still some distance from the Ninth Realm Dragon Gate, but his understanding of the divisions within the Upper Three Grades was still a complete blur.

Luo Ying, her back view elegant and captivating, turned her head and noticed Yang Erlang spacing out. She waved a hand in front of his face and frowned. “What are you dazed for? It’s time to go back and report. I suspect it won’t be long before the Endless Pavilion collapses. When that time comes, you and I need to be prepared.”

“The Endless Pavilion… collapses?” Lu Mingyuan asked, stunned.

Luo Ying nodded. “National Preceptor Xun was the one supporting Prince Jin from the shadows. Now, for some reason, he has personally entered the fray and provoked two Saints. He probably won’t dare to show his face for a while. Without National Preceptor Xun, the Endless Pavilion is no match for the current Lu Yunqing.”

Lu Mingyuan could easily guess the reason for this.

’The reason Xun Yu made a move… was largely because of me.’

’Why do I say that?’

’According to Xun Yu’s original plan, after the Yunwan Commerce Association was destroyed, the Seventh Prince’s Momentum should have collapsed with it. Without the association’s backing, Lu Yunwan would be no threat—just like the Third Prince, Lu Guangyao, who completely lost his value after losing the support of the Military General Families. He can only stay in his mansion practicing martial arts now, completely out of the running for the throne.’

’That is the best way to truly destroy someone.’

’Lu Mingyuan had originally wondered, if Prince Jin had a way to smuggle armor into the Langya Royal Mansion, why not just send a Dragon Robe and frame them for treason?’

Only now did he truly understand Xun Yu’s intentions.

This man excelled at not just killing people but crushing their spirits. A master strategist was a master strategist precisely because they could grasp their opponent’s psychology and bring about their complete ruin. If he had used the Dragon Robe to frame him for treason, his target would still have had significant power to fight back and room to prove his innocence, failing to achieve the goal of crushing his spirit. But by using the pressure from the Golden Crow Country, combined with the Court seizing the Yunwan Commerce Association, this two-pronged strategy would leave Lu Yunwan with no power to resist, causing the Momentum behind him to completely dissipate.

However, due to his interference, the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming, had intervened. With a few masterful strokes, he had brought Lu Yunwan back from the dead, giving him the capital to fight back.

Lu Guangjing’s plan had failed, causing a backlash in his Realm and severely threatening Xun Yu’s overall plan. If he didn’t make a change to break the stalemate…

…then Prince Jin, Lu Guangjing, would gradually be extinguished under the combined assault of Lu Yunwan and Lu Yunqing.

To prevent this, Xun Yu took action personally.

First, he intensified the conflict between the Seventh and Eighth Princes. Using some unknown method, he made Lu Yunwan kill Princess Consort Ning, causing the Eighth Prince’s Daoxin to be damaged. Only then could Prince Jin find a new path out of a dead-end situation.

Even if it meant his clone would be killed by the Military Saint.

But if he hadn’t done it, Prince Jin would have slowly withered away toward his doom.

Only at this moment did Lu Mingyuan truly see the situation clearly, along with the mind of a man like Xun Yu.

’Worthy of the Nan Zhou master strategist that Qi Xingyan called a Tenth Rank in Chess Skill. He actually dared to take such a risk—offending two Saints and personally entering the game to break the stalemate.’

’Whether he can make a clean getaway in the end will depend on his own abilities.’

Being, in a sense, a servant to four masters gave Lu Mingyuan one advantage.

Information flowed to him freely.

There was almost no news in the Great Yan Capital City that he didn’t know. While a certain faction might face an information gap, he had no such barrier.

As they walked, with nothing else to do, Lu Mingyuan asked the woman with the straight back walking in front of him, “Lord Ying, how exactly are the Upper Three Realms divided? A being like the Military Saint, what Realm is he in?”

Luo Ying didn’t turn back, continuing straight ahead. “With your current Cultivation, it’s uncertain if you can even leap the Dragon Gate. Why ask so much?”

“My lord, do you really think so little of me?”

Hearing this, Luo Ying finally turned around and looked Lu Mingyuan up and down, her red lips parting slightly. “The Upper Three Realms… there are many different accounts. The Three Religions each have their own divisions. There are countless legends and scriptures, but very few people have ever reached that level. As a result, there are no clear-cut definitions, and no authoritative figure has ever summarized and defined them. That’s the most important reason why it’s hard for me to answer you.”

“Currently, the clearest divisions come from the Confucian Family and the Taoist Sect. They have left behind the most scriptures, so their classifications are the most distinct.”

“Among them, the Thirteenth Realm of the Confucian Family is called Venerable Saint. Saints and Sages at this Realm have the qualification to establish their own teachings and be called a Saint. They can hold high positions in the Confucian Temple. The Military Saint is a Saint of the Military Family. Three hundred years ago, he achieved Integration with the Buddhist Sect and entered the Fourteenth Realm. Now, after his three hundred years of Drawing Prison, from what I can see, he has already fallen back to the peak of the Thirteenth Realm.”

“Integration?” Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but interrupt.

Luo Ying nodded slightly. “That’s right. The Middle Fifth Grade consists of the five great Realms of Dao-Attestation, while the Upper Three Grades are about Integration.”

“As for the Fourteenth Realm, it is called Confucian Saint. This refers to a Saint whose teachings, founded in the Central Plains World, have been recognized by the Celestial Dao and have spread throughout the world. Li Sheng and Wen Sheng, for example, are at this Realm.”

“As for the Fifteenth Realm, according to the Confucian Temple’s own records, only the five great Confucian ancestors have ever reached this Realm.”

Lu Mingyuan mused, “So, the Five Confucian Saints? Ren Sheng, Sub-Saint, Li Sheng, and the others?”

“Correct.” Luo Ying nodded her head.

“What about the Taoist Sect?”

Luo Ying slowly explained, “The Thirteenth Realm is the Human Immortal Realm, and the Fourteenth Realm is the Ascension Realm. Those in the former can pass the Immortal Tribulation, achieve the Three Flowers at the Crown, establish a sect and be called an ancestor. Their great Dao has just begun to form. They are Immortals who can ride the wind and have boundless abilities.”

“The Fourteenth Realm is a continuation of the Thirteenth. After Integration, one can ascend through the Celestial Gate. They are also known as Celestial Monarchs, Daoist Monarchs, or Celestial Immortals. For example, the Supreme Sect Leader of the Fuyao Sword Palace, where I used to be, is Dao Lord Fuyao.”

Lu Mingyuan nodded, committing it to memory.

’The Eleventh Realm is Master, the Twelfth Realm is True Monarch, and the Fourteenth Realm can be called a Daoist Monarch.’

Lu Mingyuan asked, “Then is the Fifteenth Realm the Taoist Ancestor?”

“More or less. The three founders of the Taoist Sect were all at this Realm, but they haven’t appeared in ten thousand years. It’s unknown if they have already perished.”

After all that talk, Lu Mingyuan still hadn’t heard about the divisions of the Martial Dao.

’The Martial Dao is the path I walk. I have to get a clear understanding of it.’

“What about the Martial Dao?”

Luo Ying shot him a glance and sneered, “Your Martial Dao is the most peculiar. Its heritage spans over ten thousand years, yet almost no one has ever entered the Upper Three Realms, leaving its high-level Realms the most obscure. You should know, in the Ancient Era, there were only ten Realms. It was only during the Middle Ages that later generations filled it out to fourteen Realms. And that final, fifteenth realm… no one even knows where it came from. So, I know the least about it.”

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

“I only know that the Thirteenth Realm of the Martial Dao is called Martial Saint. The person closest to this Realm is one of your Great Yan’s Four Great Tributors, the Sword Venerable. Legend has it that over a hundred years ago, the Sword Venerable entered the Thirteenth Realm and slew a Demon Emperor, one of the sovereigns of the Demon Race, becoming famous throughout the world.”

“Later, for some unknown reason, rumors in the Jianghu said that the Sword Venerable was gravely injured and fell back to the Twelfth Realm.”

…

「Late at night.」

In Qianyuan Hall, an Emperor with a fading aura lay on the dragon bed, surrounded by a Seven-Star Lantern Array that was being used as a life-sustaining Technique.

Emperor Yong’an stood by the window.

Beneath the brilliant moonlight, the ethereal figure of an old man with a clear and bright temperament, dressed in magnificent purple robes, slowly appeared beside the dragon bed.

“Zhu An, when will this turmoil end?”

Emperor Yong’an did not turn around. He spoke slowly, his voice no longer resonant, but dry and aged.

“With the Holy Emperor’s strong encouragement, Prince Jin should find it difficult to continue. Lu Yunqing has already matured, and the teachings of Li Xue should also be ready to spread throughout the world. I hope the Holy Emperor has not forgotten his promise.”

Emperor Yong’an said calmly, “My Chessboard is the world—all worlds, not just the Central Plains World. Your gaze should also be set further. You shouldn’t be shackled by a single Imperial Capital. Only then can Li Xue spread throughout every world.”

“Of course.” The old man nodded.

“Then I shall wait and see.”

…

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