Chapter 195: Chapter 158: Prodigies from All Nations Appear, the Demon Slaying Grand Assembly, 2 Grave Omens

On the first day of the new year, the Great Yan Capital City was exceptionally festive from early in the morning. Every household was abuzz with celebration.

But in the early morning hours, many outsiders appeared outside the Imperial Capital City.

Carriage after carriage rolled into the Capital City, accompanied by a stream of people arriving on foot.

Most of them wore varied attire and had distinct features, making it clear they were not from Great Yan. The one thing they had in common was the formidable guards at their sides. The more conventional-looking visitors were escorted by armored warriors clad in heavy armor and carrying weapons. Even when their clothing was strange, it was clearly of high quality.

The guards of some outsiders were particularly special, including graceful and otherworldly women, dashing young men in Confucian shirts, and Daoists in tall crowns and long robes, carrying swords on their backs…

The most impressive among them was a slender, handsome youth standing beside a tall, old eunuch. The youth’s hair crown was carved with dragon patterns, and his striking, deep black robe made him stand out.

He clearly wasn’t from some minor region.

“I hadn’t expected the Great Yan Capital City to be so lively this year, sir,” the youth said with a slight smile.

The old eunuch scanned their surroundings and explained in a low voice, “Your Highness, as I understand it, there have never been this many people in previous years. At most, envoys would be sent to present tribute. The gifts and letters would arrive, but the dignitaries themselves would not. This year is different. Besides the Demon Slaying Conference, there is a more important reason: the Great Yan Dynasty’s national power is waning, and it faces internal turmoil. Most of these visitors have come to the Great Yan Imperial Capital to test the waters and see just how capable Great Yan truly is.”

The youth nodded in understanding. “This land, the Central Divine Continent, has been the orthodox seat of the Celestial Mandate since ancient times. The Saints called it the ’Center of the Earth.’ In ancient times, it was known as the Human Race Celestial Continent—the birthplace of the Saint Dao and the most resource-rich land of all. It was only renamed after the Middle Ages.”

“The natives here now call it the Central Plains World, I believe.”

The youth gazed at the wide, flat official roads around him and the endless expanse of towering buildings and jade pavilions. Both the inner and outer cities were encircled by magnificent, ancient walls. Arrays laid by the Immortal Families operated subtly, their spiritual light shimmering. High above, shrouded in mist, an ancient array corresponded to the twelve celestial divisions, guarding the twelve directions and making the city seem like the Celestial White Jade Capital.

The Imperial Palace itself was even more majestic, situated at the very center of the world.

He watched for a long while. ’I can’t help but feel a little envious,’ he thought.

’The Human Race Celestial State has been known as the Center of the Earth since ancient times, a land said to have fallen from the heavens. Only the one who rules this land can be the true Emperor. The surrounding nations are considered nothing more than petty tribes, uncivilized barbarians.’

’Even though I am the Crown Prince of Great Sui, in the eyes of Great Yan, I’m just a local emperor ruling one continent outside the Central Divine Continent.’

’Ah, no. When in Rome… I should call it the Central Plains World.’

’The Central Plains World contains the territory of a full Twelve Great Continents, which can be thought of as twelve separate domains. Within each continent, there are countless states, counties, and nations. This division wasn’t made by the Ancient Human Emperors; it has existed since the dawn of time, and no one knows who established it. However, one thing has held true since ancient times: the dynasty that rules the Central Divine Continent is the master of this world, the true orthodox power, the supreme Venerable Emperor.’

’Throughout history, every dynasty, even the Ancient Human Emperors, only ever defended the Twelve Great Continents and never expanded beyond them. Everything outside those continents is considered the land of uncivilized barbarians.’

’My Great Sui Dynasty has been called a nation of barbarians by the Central Plains Dynasty for a thousand years. I yearn to shed that label with every fiber of my being. Three generations of my imperial ancestors have striven for this very goal.’

’And the current overlord ruling these Central Plains is the Great Yan Dynasty, recognized by the Celestial Dao and blessed with the Celestial Mandate. They are the true orthodox power.’

The young man from Great Sui then shifted his gaze to an old man standing beside a young girl with delicate, doll-like features and her hair in twin buns. The old man’s hair and beard were completely white, his eyes sharp and bright. He carried a long object wrapped in old cloth strips on his back and looked utterly unfathomable.

He recognized the man’s identity at a glance, his eyes showing a trace of surprise. ’That’s the Tributor from the Nanli Dynasty, the Elder Sword Saint.’

The old eunuch gave a faint smile. “He may hold the title of Nanli Sword Saint and be the so-called greatest master of swordsmanship on the Nanli Continent, but here in Great Yan, he’s no threat to the Confucian Temple Saints or the Three Ancestors of the Three Religions of the Central Plains World. He is nothing special here.”

The Crown Prince of Great Sui soon spotted many other acquaintances, but he had no time for pleasantries. Under the watchful eyes of numerous Qi Cultivator Sword Cultivators riding their flying swords, he could only meekly enter the Great Yan Imperial City and proceed to the Imperial Palace.

…

「The Rear Mountain of the Cold Palace.」

Lu Mingyuan sat cross-legged in the forest, surrounded by a dense haze of Buddha’s Light. His surroundings were completely sealed off by a Heaven and Earth Isolation Talisman. A golden light overflowed from his chest, and in time with his own heartbeat, the power of the Buddha’s Relics was continuously absorbed by his flesh body. His skin began to look as if it were plated in a layer of gold.

After many days of cultivation, his entire body—from his limbs and bones to his Elixir Field and Sea of Qi—was scoured by the Buddha Power. It was cleansed by the Golden Light, then put through refinement, then cleansed and refined again in a continuous cycle. The number of major acupoints opened within his body had already reached nine thousand.

He was already more than halfway through the ninth level of the Divine Sensing Chapter.

He was another step closer to the Dragon Gate Realm.

Lu Mingyuan felt that the strength of his flesh body could now rival the Vajra Glaze Body of a Tenth Realm expert. ’It’s all thanks to the Buddha’s Relics,’ he thought. ’Without the power of the Relic, there’s no way I could have opened this many acupoints so quickly.’

The Tenth Realm for a Martial Artist is called the Vajra Realm.

The name draws a comparison to the Buddhist Family’s Vajra Buddha Body and Invincible Golden Body. Some at this level can even crush a Qi Cultivator’s condensed Golden Core with their bare hands.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep