Chapter 378: The Golden Worth of the God Path Emperor (4K)

Zhang Jian was very interested.

Actually, if one wishes to leave this realm and travel beyond it, after attaining the Yuanshen, one can depart.

But to ascend to the Heavenly Gate, one must necessarily attain the body of a Heavenly Immortal.

Even if one achieves the body of an immortal, one still cannot ascend.

Of course, it is said that if one insists on forcing their way in, there are ways.

However, without receiving the Ascension Talisman Edict bestowed by the Heavenly Realm, going up will not grant any special favor or status.

The Heavenly Realm is by no means a benevolent place; just like the realm beyond, it is filled with divine demons, ferocious beasts, and even more powerful beings. If one is not strong enough and lacks a solid 'golden thigh' above, one may still face mortal danger after ascending.

Being able to hold the Ascension Grand Ceremony indicates that after ascending, one will receive the recognition of the Heavenly Palace Emperor.

With the protection of the Heavenly Palace, at least safety can be guaranteed, and even a certain status can be attained.

The Tongshan Dao Tradition has an advantage in this regard.

After the ascension of Ancestor King Yu of the Xia, it is rumored that he has become an existence akin to an Emperor above, and among the Emperors of the Heavenly Palace, he is also of decisive influence.

……

Rarely encountering such liveliness, Zhang Jian then brought along the two empresses, Qi and Bai, as well as Zhang Zhao, to the Tongshan Dao Tradition.

This is his first time bringing the two empresses and Zhang Zhao to participate in such a special banquet.

But this will not be the first time.

Behind him, Bai Liying was fine, but Qi Yuhua seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Seeing Qi Yuhua's uneasy thoughts, Zhang Jian offered a brief comfort.

At this moment, the group had not ridden any spirit treasure carriage or mount, nor was there any Yuanshen True Person accompanying them; it was rather simple.

Only Zhang Jian faintly felt a hint of strangeness.

As an Emperor, this mode of travel is indeed somewhat 'simple'; if seen by other high-level cultivators, they might look down on him.

"Next time, I must find a way to obtain a fine carriage; even ancient immortals travel with pomp, as the Great Xia Emperor..."

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered.

A person needs attire, a Buddha needs gold.

The principle is the same.

The power of the Heaven and Earth Mystic Gate enveloped the group; his spiritual energy protected the three behind him, his form transformed into a flowing light shuttling through the gate, his speed extremely swift.

Shortly afterward, Zhang Jian's vast Yuanshen divine sense sensed that the spatial coordinates of the Tongshan Dao Tradition were already near at hand; with a wave of his hand, he directly tore through a vast expanse of void, his form bringing the three into spatial translocation, entering the Slay Demon Hall.

Without a fine 'mount,' without ceremonial regalia, one must resort to powerful spiritual abilities and divine powers; with divine power manifested, the prestige naturally rises.

Slay Demon Peak, within the Slay Demon Hall.

The Slay Demon True Lord was gathering his disciples for instruction.

At this moment, among the five chief disciples in the hall, four had already returned.

The eldest disciple, Chi Jiang Daoist, the second disciple, Chu Yunzi, the third disciple, Yun Tianhe, the fourth disciple, Hua Wanzhi; each of the four disciples had intense spiritual light surrounding them, their cultivation not weak.

The lowest among them were at the Golden Core realm.

Two of them had already lingered in the Yin Spirit realm for hundreds of years; for example, Chi Jiang Daoist had already passed through two Yin Spirit tribulations.

As for the third disciple, Yun Tianhe, his cultivation was even more outstanding; he practiced the《Nine Qi Nurturing Yuan True Classic》, his Yin Spirit spiritual energy vast and mighty.

His cultivation surpassed that of Chi Jiang Daoist; he had already stepped into the third tribulation of the Yin Spirit realm, condensing his own Heavenly Heart Seal.

The fourth disciple, Hua Wanzhi, wore a purple-red robe, carried a long sword on her back, dressed as a heroic woman of the mortal world, her spirit bold and imposing, her countenance also beautiful and gentle.

Like the second disciple, Chu Yunzi, her Golden Core was already perfected, she stood at the peak of Golden Core, capable at any time of nurturing a Yin Spirit, to achieve the body of a Yin Spirit Venerable.

At this moment, however, the cold voice of the Slay Demon True Lord rang out in the great hall.

"……This Ascension Grand Ceremony is a rare event occurring only once in several thousand years for our Tongshan Dao Tradition; the Sect Master and Sect Uncle wish to use this opportunity to intimidate numerous sects, traditions, and even the Holy King clans and true immortal families; at that time, there will certainly be various competitions to showcase the foundation of our Tongshan Dao Tradition, preparing for the emergence of Tongshan!"

"You, as disciples of this seat, will inevitably have to represent the Slay Demon Peak lineage on stage; my expectations of you are not high—namely, you must win. Since I began cultivation, within the sect's internal trials, small and large competitions, I have never suffered a defeat. As my disciples, you must not bring shame upon the Slay Demon lineage!"

Upon hearing this, the four disciples' faces became solemn, and they immediately nodded.

The third disciple, Yun Tianhe, laughed and clasped his hands: "Master, rest assured, our Slay Demon lineage is not inferior to anyone!"

His countenance could only be considered ordinary, but his eyes held an indescribable resilience and wisdom light.

The Slay Demon True Lord heard this and slightly nodded.

Just then, her face moved, her gaze suddenly turned toward the outside of Slay Demon Peak, the corner of her mouth slightly twitching with a hint of strangeness.

Yet, a magnificent radiance burst forth from the depths of the illusory void, a mighty power directly tearing through the void, and behold, outside Slay Demon Peak, a fierce sword light naturally appeared.

This was a supreme forbidden law left by the Second-Generation Ancestor, the Law-Exterminating Old Ancestor, on Slay Demon Peak—a terrifying sword intent, as if capable of erasing everything.

Yet, a purple-yellow light broke through the void; as that purple-yellow light approached, it was like a divine brushstroke, at the moment the terrifying sword intent was about to strike, it brushed against the sword intent and instantly dispelled the forbidden law outside the Slay Demon Hall, falling into Slay Demon Peak.

Although there was no actual collision, the mighty divine power emanating from that purple-yellow radiance, along with its extraordinary attainment in rune禁法, still caused Slay Demon Peak and even the powerful beings deep within the Divine Mountain to feel astonishment, while numerous vast Yuanshen divine senses broke through the void.

But upon identifying the core 'treasure record' qi mechanism within that purple-yellow light, and the identity, they gradually retreated.

Yet, the magnificent imperial aura and divine power emanating from that purple-yellow light also caused many vast Yuanshen divine senses to tremble slightly.

That power had already surpassed that of an ordinary Yuanshen True Lord.

"Cultivation near the Immortal realm?"

Under the purple-yellow light, Zhang Jian appeared within the Slay Demon Hall, accompanied by Qi, the two empresses Bai, and Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Jian's body was surrounded by a coiling red dragon phantom, spiritual light wandering; his eyes held something unusual.

The sword intent surrounding Slay Demon Peak was extremely fierce; had he not acted a little faster, he would have invited trouble!

But he was also bold due to his skill, and in his heart, he actually felt some fighting spirit.

He also wanted to know what extent his full power would reach if he unleashed it completely.

But he quickly dispelled this thought of actively provoking again.

Thoughts turning like lightning, at this moment Zhang Jian also saw beside him, face stern, eyes glaring at him—the Slay Demon True Lord.

His expression turned solemn, he smiled and clasped his hands, saying: "Master!"

At the same time, he gestured to the Qi, Bai, and Zhang Zhao beside him to pay their respects.

"Master!"

"Ancestor!"

The Slaying Demon True Monarch glanced at the crowd, his face breaking into a slight smile, amiable and pleasant, but when facing Zhang Jian, his expression instantly hardened as he snapped.

"Wicked disciple, what are you up to? Do you intend to betray your master and destroy your ancestor?"

Zhang Jian's expression flickered slightly, his face solemn as he said: "Master, I have heard that the Ancestor's swordsmanship is superb, and your entire Slaying Demon and Slaying Immortal sword intent is entirely inherited from the Ancestor. A sudden urge to test my skills made me act, but I never meant to disturb the senior elders of the sect..."

"Itching to test your skills? As your master, I see you're merely showing off your cultivation, you wicked disciple. In just a few days, your wings have hardened, and you dare to test even the Ancestor's methods!"

The Slaying Demon True Monarch gave Zhang Jian no pleasant expression.

Yet, deep down, she was still somewhat shaken.

There's no denying that the move Zhang Jian just displayed truly left her greatly astonished.

How strong is this Immortal-Slaying Sword Intent left behind by the Daoist Exorcist? The Slaying Demon True Monarch knows it all too well.

Even ordinary immortals would not dare provoke it lightly, yet Zhang Jian, with exquisite precision, avoided that sword and, in the shortest time, dispelled the surrounding restrictions of the Slaying Demon Hall.

The very display of it left even her greatly astonished.

With the cultivation of a Golden Body-level Great True Person of the Primordial Spirit, even with the mandate of heaven added, it would not reach such an astonishing level of power.

She noticed that Zhang Jian had not used the Golden Man of the Equal King just now.

Curious in her heart, the Slaying Demon True Monarch did not press Zhang Jian further, but instead introduced him to several disciples.

She let out a cold snort, then turned her gaze to the crowd, meeting their slightly astonished looks, and spoke calmly.

"This is Zhang Jian, the founding monarch of the Great Xia on the fertile lands of Dongzhou, and also your junior martial brother!"

She then turned her gaze to Zhang Jian and said: "Chi Jiang, Chu Yunzi—these two need no further introduction. The two beside them are your third senior brother Yun Tianhe and fourth senior sister Hua Wanzhi, both outstanding talents of their time!"

"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian smiled faintly, clasped his hands slightly, as a gesture of greeting.

He wore a smile, his expression warm and refreshing like a spring breeze; though his methods were formidable, he bore no air of superiority or arrogance, which instead made several fellow disciples' eyes light up.

The lovely fourth senior sister Hua Wanzhi first glanced at the two peerless beauties behind Zhang Jian, then smiled and said.

"Though we in the barbarian regions have heard of the title 'Emperor of Great Xia,' I never expected such a heavenly prodigy to also be a disciple of our Slaying Demon lineage. As senior brothers and sisters, our cultivation is lacking—truly a source of shame!"

This senior sister is eloquent, putting on no airs despite her seniority, but rather unusually humble. Zhang Jian's eyes flickered slightly, and he promptly offered a ladder—he had already inquired with the Ironheart Daoist: though these senior brothers and sisters are not high in cultivation, each has been carefully nurtured by the Slaying Demon True Monarch, their potential immense.

Among peers, they are truly outstanding talents!

This also makes them natural future allies of the Great Xia dynasty; he would naturally not push them away.

After just a few words, the atmosphere in the hall instantly livened, as they sensed that although Zhang Jian was an emperor, he did not look down on them, but was approachable; the fellow brothers relaxed somewhat, and felt even more delighted that this junior martial brother regarded them as his own.

Soon after, they agreed to meet that evening for a few drinks.

Meanwhile, the Slaying Demon True Monarch had someone prepare a palace on Slaying Demon Peak for their temporary residence.

As a true传承 disciple of the Slaying Demon Peak lineage and an inner-door elder of the Tongshan Dao tradition, Zhang Jian should have had his own residence, complete with a cave dwelling, spirit mountain, and all attendant authority.

But after attaining the Primordial Spirit, he spent most of these past ten or so years in secluded cultivation, never returning to the sect to complete the relevant formalities.

Thus, he had not yet formally chosen his cave dwelling, nor determined his functional scope.

Upon returning to the sect this time, Zhang Jian simply decided to settle everything at once.

Qi Yuhua, Bai Liying, and Zhang Zhao remained at Slaying Demon Peak.

Not long after, news arrived that Zhang Yi and Zhang Xian hurried over.

The mother and son four reunited, and the Zhang household side became lively.

Qi Yuhua and Bai Liying also wore joyful expressions; following Zhang Jian over to watch the fun was certainly a purpose, but their willingness to come with him was mainly due to Zhang Yi and Zhang Xian being in the Divine Mountain.

……

On the other side, the Slaying Demon True Monarch accompanied Zhang Jian as he completed all the relevant elder onboarding procedures. Besides receiving a portion of the sect's stipend, he also confirmed the scope of authority for an inner-door elder, along with some benefits, such as the annual right to nominate disciples into certain special blessed lands, and even authority over some trial grounds.

Furthermore, every ten years, or a hundred, or even several hundred years, he could enjoy certain unique sect resources—these are priceless.

Of course, where there are benefits, there are also requirements.

Zhang Jian chose the inner-door elder authority leaning toward civil affairs—he selected the transmission of skill, transmission of scriptures, or the annotation of texts, etc. This is also what he excels at, and it allows him to avoid interfering with his handling of Great Xia's internal affairs to the greatest extent.

In fact, Zhang Jian values these rights to annotate the sect's ancient texts; otherwise, given his current status, he could simply hold a nominal post and be done with it.

Along the way, the Slaying Demon True Monarch could not help but ask.

"Ah Yu, tell me truly—what stage has your cultivation reached?"

This question had arisen in her mind upon seeing Zhang Jian's move earlier, but at the time, she hesitated due to the presence of many disciples, making direct inquiry inappropriate.

Zhang Jian's eyes turned, and he smiled as he said.

"My cultivation remains merely that of a Golden Body-level Great True Person of the Primordial Spirit, but I have taken hold of a portion of earthly authority, and 'accidentally' achieved the Dao of the God-Path Emperor. Though newly attained, if I exert my full strength, I will not be weaker than a God-Path Star Lord or an Immortal-Path True Immortal!"

Zhang Jian did not conceal this.

The sect's relationship with him is now extremely close; revealing a portion of his strength is beneficial.

Of course, this is not all of his strength.

"God-Path Emperor?"

The Slaying Demon True Monarch was slightly startled.

"This..."

This news caused her Dao heart to violently tremble.

This news is too astonishing!

The God-Path Emperor is the great fruition of the Great Dao in the God-Path, a great accomplishment.

The birth of any Emperor is a major event for the God-Path and for the entire cosmos.

Even in the celestial realm, the position of the Emperor is of great importance!

"A Yu, are you sure you have condensed the Emperor's position..."

Zhang Jian thought of that feeling of controlling the earth, omnipotent and unrestrained, and after a moment he said.

"Not sure, but it probably won't be far off!"

The Slaying Demon True Lord, upon hearing this, nodded slightly, her face solemn as she said: "A Yu, do you agree to report the secret of this Divine Path Emperor to the sect's various ancestors?"

Zhang Jian's eyes flickered, and he smiled: "Master, just go ahead and report it!"

He knew that the news of him harboring the primordial spirit of the State and Altar Emperor would eventually become known to the sect.

The Slaying Demon True Lord, upon hearing this, had a hint of a smile in her eyes: "Very good, if it is truly confirmed that you bear the rank of the Divine Path Emperor, then let your ancestors step forward on your behalf, to plan..."

Zhang Jian's eyes lit up.