Chapter 240: Chapter 180: Master of the Dao Alliance, Sun Wheel Celestial Monarch, The Rescue Arrives

Near the towering Northern Great Wall, there were many towns and villages.

The local people had lived here for generations, so long that no one remembered when their ancestors first arrived. Many unwritten rules had been preserved to this day.

One such rule was that the people living by the Great Wall were not to be disturbed by the wars of successive dynasties. No army would ever be sent to invade. Even as the Celestial Mandate of the Central Plains Dynasty changed hands—from Daqian to Great Zhou, and then to Great Yan—the small towns remained, and the people within lived in peace.

Fields of crops stretched out in every direction. Yellow dogs and children ran through the countryside, and smoke curled up from the eaves of houses where stout women bustled about their chores.

A drunken man in a conical hat, leaning on a bamboo staff and carrying a wine gourd, staggered over with a grin. He teased an eight-year-old boy:

“Lü Gou Dan, how about Uncle comes over to your place for a meal today? In return, I’ll teach you Training Saber. What do you say?”

But the eight-year-old boy, whose surname was Lü, quickly shook his head. “No. Uncle Zhao, my mom told me not to follow your bad example, or I’ll pick up your stench of alcohol and all your nasty habits.”

The drunken man’s expression soured. “What else did your mother tell you?” he asked, displeased.

With the unfiltered honesty of a child, the Lü boy didn’t hold back. “She also said I should never, ever practice martial arts. Especially not with you.”

The drunkard’s mouth twitched. He was speechless. “You have such excellent aptitude. Not practicing martial arts would be a total waste of these golden years. Trust me, if you learn, Wang the Pockmarked next door will definitely stop bullying you.”

The Lü boy answered earnestly, “My mom says learning martial arts gets you killed. It’s better not to.”

Hearing this, the drunkard’s expression froze. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“HAHAHA! To think that I, Zhao Xuanwu, would one day be rejected like this.”

“Fine, fine. I respect your family’s choice.”

Since they were unwilling, he wouldn’t insist.

He took the wine gourd from his waist and took a long drink. GULP, GULP.

“Ahhh! Now that’s refreshing.”

He let out a contented sigh and a drunken burp. ’Life doesn’t get much better than this.’

Suddenly, Zhao Xuanwu whipped his head around, his gaze fixed on a point in the sky.

In a realm even vaster than the Central Plains World, a great, crimson sun was slowly rising.

The middle-aged drunkard pressed a hand to the bamboo staff at his waist. With a faint smile, he said to the eight-year-old boy,

“Gou Dan, you’ll have to excuse me!”

The Lü boy stepped aside on the muddy country road, and Zhao Xuanwu swayed as he walked toward the top of the city wall.

A moment later, he disappeared from sight.

The child stared at the sky, where a third sun, and then a fourth, had appeared. He found it all incredibly strange, his heart filled with curiosity.

’It’s like another world over there.’

“Lü Feng, time to eat!”

The bustling woman came out of the house and saw her son staring blankly at the sky. She instinctively looked up and saw the extra suns as well.

She hurried forward, scooped up her son, and urged,

“Get inside, now!”

After the door was shut tight, the woman noticed her son looking down, drawing on the floor with a twig. He whispered,

“Mom, I want to learn martial arts.”

At his words, the woman could only sigh.

…

But at this very moment,

among the towering border mountains, a streak of iridescent light shot westward, fast as a comet dragging an incredibly long tail.

A closer look revealed it was a man in a conical hat, holding a bamboo staff, a gourd at his waist. He strode through the air as if he were an Immortal Riding the Wind.

“Go.”

The man in the conical hat threw his bamboo staff. A flash of white light tore through the mountain peak and landed on its summit, activating a vast Immortal Family Array.

The next second,

the heavy canopy of the heavens trembled violently, and the nine rising suns grew even more brilliant.

Zhao Xuanwu heard a conversation from the other side of the void.

An ethereal, echoing voice resounded across the endless land: “Sun Wheel Celestial Monarch, how kind of you to trouble yourself with a personal visit. Since ancient times, those who trespass in the Wilderness are marked for death. Even if you are the Master of the Dao Alliance, I will take your head and plant it at the very top of my tower of Sword Cultivator skulls, so you can watch as the Central Plains World falls.”

“HAHAHA!”

A booming laugh soon answered from the far distance. The voice was not only rich and mellow, but it also carried a unique quality. It was like that of a high-ranking ruler, a Prince or member of the Royal Family, yet it made one feel as pleasant as a spring breeze. The words themselves, however, made no attempt to hide a towering, disdainful arrogance.

“What shameless boasting. You used the Demon Slaying Conference to strike back at the Central Plains Dynasty, and now you think you’re invincible? With your current strength, daring to provoke the Three Religions and my Dao Alliance is simply courting death!”

As the voice fell, the rising suns—the dome of this small world—shattered from all directions.

A Sun Disc floated behind the man, orbited by six crimson Flying Swords. His sashes fluttered, making him look like a divine being.

A handsome man in a flowing, cyan Magic Robe descended from the sky, standing between heaven and earth. He was enveloped in a hazy white aura, like mist over a great lake or the astral winds atop a mountain. The flaming, divine bird embroidered on his robe was exceptionally vivid. With his black hair unbound, he looked utterly divine, riding the pure wind with unparalleled grace.

Streams of flame coiled around him like crimson Flood Dragons, swimming swiftly. The moment any foul Demon Qi encountered this great solar aura, it instantly dissipated.

Seeing the Great Dharma Aspect of Nine Suns Hanging in the Sky, Zhao Xuanwu recognized the newcomer and whispered,

“Sun Wheel Celestial Monarch, Ying Zhao. I didn’t expect it to be you.”

「At the same time.」

In the west, a golden Dao Lotus bloomed, and a boundless Buddha’s Voice rang out. From the east, a magnificent, brocaded scroll unfurled, as vast as the mountains and rivers themselves.

Zhao Xuanwu exclaimed in surprise, “An ancient artifact of the Confucian Dao from the Confucian Temple—the Grand Thousand Canglan Map.”

’Legend says the Grand Thousand Canglan Map contains the Great Thousand Worlds, the various hypothetical worlds described in books. Could it be that the Painting Saint, one of the Saints of the Hundred Schools of Thought, has also made a move?’

Zhao Xuanwu stood in mid-air, his expression grim. He watched the commotion in every direction, trying desperately to protect the area under his charge from the shockwaves of this supreme power.

From the west, a five-colored light of merit surged forth, growing stronger and stronger until the entire Wilderness was suffused with a five-colored, chaotic glow.

In the unseen realm, a million-zhang-tall Dharma Aspect of the Buddha flickered into existence for a heartbeat. With a single palm strike, it shattered the Grand Array on Pingding Mountain in the center of the Wilderness!

Zhao Xuanwu nodded. ’The supreme treasure of the Buddhist Sect, the Tathagata’s Supreme Kasaya. It can manifest the true form of the Buddha. With the Three Religions striking together, it seems the Prince of Great Yan should be able to escape unscathed.’

A reminiscent look appeared in his eyes. “I just wonder how that kid is doing now.”

…

Author’s Note: I’ve had a bit of writer’s block recently, and the detailed outline is proving difficult to write. This is mainly about the next major plot arc after the Grotto Heaven storyline—the struggle for succession—and the subsequent wrap-up. This book won’t end after the protagonist becomes the Emperor; we’re likely only entering the Mid Stage. I have to take it slow, so I’m afraid it will be hard to maintain the usual large, satisfying updates. I hope everyone understands.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep