Chapter 831: Chapter 555: Rewards and Merits
"Probably already escaped into the starry sky."
"I feel the same."
"The Spider Queen may not match Blood Moon Demon Venerable in frontal combat, but as a Heavenly Ghost who attained Dao, she excels at transformation and concealment. Once she hides, even Immortals would struggle to find her."
All the Heavenly Kings looked toward Lu Chenzhou.
Lu Chenzhou could only shake his head helplessly.
"I have tried already."
Because of the Heavenly Ghost Body, Lu Chenzhou couldn’t trace the causal links of the Spider Queen in the first place. Let alone now that she possesses the Jade Toad Ancient Coin. Unless his Causality Dao could advance to Fifth Rank, searching would be pointless.
At present, his Chaos Dao had already reached Fifth Rank.
From this vantage, attaining Causality Fifth Rank wasn’t difficult either.
All in all, the grand situation in the Human World was set.
Eliminating the remnants was just a matter of time.
Old Yellow River Ghost said, "Since that’s the case, let’s return for now to guard our respective regions. Everyone keep in close contact—should the Queen be spotted, call on me at once."
"I’ll be taking my leave as well."
Li Xiuying soared away by sword control.
"Young friend Lu, I’ll return to Po Suo. When you have the time, do visit—we of the Heart’s Mediator hold you in the highest regard."
Emperor Hanu’s spiritual projection dissipated.
The Alcohol King also left his contact information and departed.
After this battle, the four Seventh Realm powers spoke even more highly of Lu Chenzhou, ever more convinced—as Northern Guardian King had claimed—that Lu Chenzhou had the potential to become the leader of civilization.
...
Mystic Sky Realm.
Star Dome Sea, headquarters of the Eye of Truth.
The Blood Ancient God’s eyes drooped, murderous intent chilling.
"A step too late."
Lord Toad inquired:
"What do you mean?"
The Blood God sighed.
"When I gave your treasure to Gu Yue, Lu Chenzhou had already used a secret technique to track him. The sole clone of Gu Yue Demon Venerable was exterminated."
The Witch looked up and asked:
"Then, was the causality treasure destroyed? Lu Chenzhou’s insight is too great—don’t let him observe the treasure and gain Dao Enlightenment."
The Blood God hesitated, "I instructed Gu Yue and the others: if discovered, destroy the treasure at once—give Lu Chenzhou no chance. But things happened suddenly, and Lu Chenzhou arrived too fast. What happened in the end, I’m not sure."
The Witch looked a bit troubled.
Hearing this exchange, Lord Toad couldn’t help interjecting, "Is it that exaggerated? Just by looking at a cause-and-effect treasure he can attain Dao Enlightenment?"
He could advance in Dao by fighting,
by obtaining treasures,
by cultivating—
Could it be, as the Wanbang Council proclaims, Lu Chenzhou really possesses the unprecedented Enlightenment Saint Body?
The Witch said blandly:
"You awoke late and interacted little with Lu Chenzhou. At any rate, when you let Wangyue Demon Saint deal with Lu Chenzhou, act carefully—otherwise, not only will you fail to kill him, you might hand him an opportunity."
Lord Toad fell silent.
The Witch continued:
"Remember this: if any of ours encounters Lu Chenzhou and cannot win, just self-destruct immediately. Even if the soul dissipates and you are forever denied reincarnation, with no next life, you must not give Lu Chenzhou a chance for possible Dao Enlightenment."
Self-destruction of the soul meant no hope of resurrection. The Demon Race would never do so unless forced to the last resort. That the Witch was forced this far only made Lord Toad more curious about Lu Chenzhou.
...
Xia Realm.
Elder Council.
More than three hundred Elders of All Nations had rarely gathered all together.
Of course, most appeared in avatar; their true bodies were tied up—either cultivating or guarding Base Cities—and could not leave.
After Lu Chenzhou logged on,
The Guardians of all Base Cities came to offer congratulations.
"Congratulations to Lu Heavenly King for creating a Supreme Divine Skill!"
"A Sixth Realm body, yet he challenged and defeated the Seventh Realm—two of them! Lu Heavenly King has truly opened this old man’s eyes!"
"The strength of youth, indeed."
A chorus of elders praised him in turn.
Lu Chenzhou laughed, "Hahaha, who am I to call myself young? By now, I’m already in my sixties, certainly unworthy of the title."
Northern Guardian King arrived.
He clapped his hands and announced:
"Everyone, another piece of good news to share. Only a short while ago, the leader of the Demon Palace, Gu Yue, was successfully ambushed and slain at the South Sea by Old Yellow River Ghost, Li Xiuying, Emperor Hanu, Alcohol King, and Lu Chenzhou!"
All the Heavenly Kings’ eyes shone, and applause followed.
"So at last Gu Yue is dead! Demon Venerables are truly tough opponents. Even at death he took four of our Heavenly Kings with him, alas."
"Sacrifice is inevitable in war. With the Heavenly Person List intact, the Martial Souls of these fellow Daoists will forever endure in the Martial World—and among the Heroic Spirits, they can watch over the Human World and witness the advent of a new era."
"True, but what a pity for the billions of ordinary people and Martial Artists lost in this war."
There was both joy and heaviness among them.
After a long war, the dawn had finally come.
Northern Guardian King smiled, "With Carefree Travel, Blood Hidden Tower, and Demon Palace—the three evil forces—destroyed, only scattered remnant bandits remain, no longer a threat to the Human World. Aside from continuing to track down the Spider Queen, our Wanbang Council must now move on to the second stage of development. I have called everyone here today for this discussion.
But before that, I wish to honor those Elders and the countless Martial Artists and professionals from the Base Cities who made significant contributions during the demon-ghost war."
The council meeting began.
Lu Chenzhou was the first to be mentioned.
Northern Guardian King smiled, "Lu Heavenly King personally slew Mie Yun, Blood Vine, Ghost, Blood Hidden Building Master, Gu Yue Demon Venerable, and other five enemy leaders, thus ensuring our victory—his merit is plain for all to see. I have prepared a list of rewards for Lu Heavenly King. Please review it."
A listing was delivered before the Elders.
All eyes lit up uncontrollably.
"Heaven and Earth Treasure · East Sea Billion-Year Cold Iron? The legendary Seventh Rank Divine Iron from the opening of the Great Wilderness! This is a treasure for forging Heaven-reaching Spirit Weapons. I approve."
"Two stalks of Nine Apertures Exquisite Grass? That, too. Though Lu Heavenly King may not need them himself, he can use them to cultivate promising juniors."
Lufang had already submitted many Nine Apertures Exquisite Grass to the council. With such good talent, he was likely to attain Seventh Realm; among those loyal to humanity, nearly all Heavenly Kings had consumed Opening Treasures. Thus, these years, the Heavenly Kings’ cultivation had soared higher and higher.
It’s believed that in several years, a surge in Heavenly Realm cultivators will occur. Some Linglong Grass remains, to reward the next generation. Furthermore, in the Mystic Sky Realm, opportunities for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures abound—the council’s next phase will see expeditions there for more riches.
In truth, Lu Chenzhou found it awkward to comment. He lounged in a corner, chin propped, waiting for the Elders to vote.
He was deeply grateful to Northern Guardian King.
"The president prepared this especially for me—he knows my Tiger Soul Spear is currently just a Supreme Divine Weapon, yet if I want it to rise to Supreme level, I need rare Heaven and Earth Treasure-level Divine Iron to recast it."
In a sense, precious Divine Iron was even more valuable than a Seventh Rank Spirit Weapon itself, since Spirit Weapons were set—with array marks and spent spirituality—they can’t be reforged for adaptation.
Canglang Song was fine, but Lu Chenzhou always felt something lacking in it; only the Tiger Soul Spear truly fit his hand. If it could be upgraded, his strength would rise another twenty percent.
The Elders discussed the treasury’s rewards.
Item by item, the prizes were approved.
Lu Chenzhou’s contributions were simply too enormous; his strength, needless to say, and his prestige now faintly surpassed even Northern Guardian King. No Elder would risk offending this young man.
Eighteen rewards in all—every one passed.
The lesser prizes were all Heavenly Treasures.
By Lu Chenzhou’s estimate, it added up to roughly 500,000 Mid-grade Primordial Stones, with the most valuable being the Miracle Divine Iron—prized even in the Great Wilderness, envied by Seventh Realm powers.
Northern Guardian King said with a smile, "Chenzhou, your rewards will be sent to Su City. If you have any you don’t need, you may exchange them for Mid-grade Primordial Stones... The council has only limited High-grade Primordial Stones, which are allocated to Spirit Vein cultivation—please excuse us."
Lu Chenzhou bowed in thanks.
"It’s more than enough—thank you, President."
Northern Guardian King became solemn:
"Now, let’s proceed to the main agenda: merging Base Cities in the Four Security Regions, reform of civilization, and candidate selection for future expeditions to the Mystic Sky Realm..."
...
Three days later.
After fierce debate.
The Elder Council issued a notice to all citizens.
From the year 2265, taking advantage of peace, the next decade will see the ongoing consolidation of the present 108 first-level Base Cities, with massive infrastructure development underway.
In the core regions of the Imperial Capital, Yun Meng, Shushan, and South Sea, four super Base Cities will be constructed—each to accommodate ten billion inhabitants—namely: Beidi City, Yun Meng City, Shushan City, South Sea City. These Four Giant Cities will be humanity’s final safety zones, receiving the focus of all protection.
Citizens of Cherry Blossom Base City, mainly former Cherry Blossom Country nationals, will be randomly resettled across the Four Regions. Moreover, Winter, Po Suo, and over a hundred nations will see their race-based governance abolished and merged into the All Nations collective, thus commencing humanity’s second-stage plan.
The Wanbang Council will be renamed in ten years.
Its new name: Tianxia Human Civilization.
Henceforth, only the concept of "civilization" remains—no more nations, no more racial divides. All humans on the Xia Star will be known collectively as:
Tianxia Human Clan.
Tianxia Civilization will abolish the old Martial Arts University and Daoist Heritage distinctions, organizing Martial Arts Holy Lands around the Four Base Cities.
Yun Meng City · Wanxiang Holy Land, based on Myriad Phenomena Dao, will unify all Elephant Form and fighter specialists. Beidi City · Taiyi Holy Land, based on the former Daoist Sect. Shushan City · Sword and Saber Holy Land, rooted in the nine major Tianxia traditions, will focus on combat arts. South Sea City · Lingshan Holy Land, based on Buddhism and Po Suo.
The Four Great Holy Lands will compete healthily and together advance Martial Arts—founding four first-class, cosmic-level Martial Arts Academies: Myriad Phenomena, Taiyi, Sword & Saber, Lingshan—offering training to every citizen of Tianxia Civilization and, in time, to all allies in the Three Thousand Worlds. Spiritual root will no longer be the only assessment criteria; the academies will develop a complete set of innate talent standards for Inner Family, Horizontal Training, and more specialized sects.
Within ten years, a Four Holy Lands leadership competition will be held. The head of each Holy Land will also serve as the city’s chief and academy director—their term of office will rotate every century.
From among the four leaders, one will be chosen to command the Elder Council and preside as the leader of Tianxia Civilization.
The title: Tianxia Military Leader.
Until the Evil God War is finally won, Tianxia Civilization will remain a universally militarized entity.
Martial might reigns supreme!
The Military Leader is the core.
At present, the Military Leader is Northern Guardian King Chen Beiming.
In ten years—when the trial periods for Silver Eagle and Northern Alliance conclude—the first selection for academy heads and the Military Leader will be held.
The omnibus plan is now underway.
...
In a certain world.
The Eternal Immortal put away the Lighting Order: "Xia Realm’s Martial Arts have endured defense long enough—it’s time to strike back. Let’s begin with the Mystic Sky Realm and make Tianxia’s name resound! Using the Heavenly Person Martial Arts as our clarion call, let martial valor spread throughout the Three Thousand Worlds."