Chapter 130: Shocking ancient and bright now, the long river of time, Confucius manifests in the world, all under heaven tremble in f

Gu Jin Nian's voice rang out.

He stared directly at Kong Wuya.

After all that, isn't it ultimately for the holy artifact in his hand? And he glorifies it as taking the holy artifact for the sake of all living beings?

However, Gu Jin Nian had long been prepared; his daring to come to the Kong Family shows he has confidence.

And this confidence comes from the Confucius Seal.

If the Saint's Seal is activated, it can summon a true saint's descent; then Gu Jin Nian will see what other tricks the Kong Family has.

But Gu Jin Nian currently has no intention of immediately awakening the seal; his only reason is to see what the Kong Family truly has.

Revealing all his trump cards, then activating the Saint's Seal for himself would be advantageous and harmless.

"Gu Jin Nian, you truly are ignorant of the heights of heaven and depths of earth."

"What do you think the Kong Family's millennia-old foundation is?"

"Comparing talent with the Kong Family? That's surely asking for suffering."

Kong Xin's voice rang out, his eyes toward Gu Jin Nian filled with nothing but cold sneer.

Upon these words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Indeed, although Gu Jin Nian's talent is formidable, saying he can compare talent with the Kong Family is still somewhat lacking.

"Oh, if that's the case, then this prince would like to see whether the Kong Family's talent is greater, or this prince's talent is greater."

Gu Jin Nian also didn't waste words; at this moment, the Holy Ruler appeared before him.

The Wen Mansion also appeared at this moment, vast righteousness qi thick as the sea; relying on this talent to try to weaken the Kong Family's talent is indeed a foolish daydream.

But the next moment, above the Wen Mansion, a star fell down.

This is the star soul condensed from the National Stabilizing Poem.

At this moment it fell, and in an instant transformed into boundless talent.

"Today, I, Gu Mou, for the righteousness of heaven and earth, will diminish the Kong Family's talent."

When Gu Jin Nian gets ruthless, even he himself is afraid.

The National Stabilizing Poem's star soul can be reflected within the Wen Mansion, day and night forging Gu Jin Nian's physique and talent.

But now, Gu Jin Nian directly uses the star soul as a price, transforming it into talent, all to diminish the Kong Family's talent.

Indeed, as the star soul's power is infused into the Holy Ruler, almost in an instant, a gale surges forth.

The Exquisite Holy Ruler bursts forth with immeasurable light, blindingly bright, a terrifying phantom flickers past, sweeping over the entire Kong Family's Main Residence above and below.

The next moment.

The entire Kong Family, from top to bottom, rose to their feet; even the Holy Ruler and Kong Wuya could not remain seated.

They stood up, their faces grim to the extreme.

Because they discovered that the talent within their bodies had lessened a little—not much, but indeed a small portion had diminished.

Every member of the Kong Family had lessened a small portion; combined, it exceeds the talent of a Great Scholar by tenfold.

"Gu Jin Nian, are you crazy?"

"Don't you want your life?"

"You'd rather sacrifice the National Stabilizing Poem's soul than spare my Kong Family's talent—have you gone mad?"

"You are simply a madman."

In an instant, the voices of the crowd rang out, especially the Kong Family members, who were truly trembling with rage.

Even if Gu Jin Nian's lawless behavior were tolerable, killing someone directly at the Kong Family banquet already touches the Kong Family's bottom line.

Yet unexpectedly, Gu Jin Nian refuses to admit any fault and still dares to diminish the Kong Family's talent—has he truly gone mad? "You are truly lawless and heaven-defying."

At this moment, Kong Xin roared angrily, his Wen Mansion appeared, five war chariots manifested with flashing thunder, ready to strike down Gu Jin Nian.

"Do you really think I am dead?"

As Kong Xin's Wen Mansion appeared, at this moment a cold voice sounded.

It was Su Wenjing's voice.

The people were astonished; they never expected Su Wenjing to come as well.

Outside the Great Achievement Hall.

Su Wenjing stood with hands behind his back, appearing before the crowd, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Kong Xin, his gaze also full of anger.

"Su Wenjing."

"You, this student, are arrogantly outrageous; you have killed innocents in my Kong Family and dare to diminish its talent—you have already committed the grave crime of high treason."

"Su Wenjing, I, the old man, advise you to weigh your own actions; do not wade into this muddy water."

Kong Xin spoke, facing Su Wenjing he still gave him three parts of courtesy, after all the other party is a Pre-Half-Saint.

"Shut up."

"What are you, daring to come and advise me?"

But unexpectedly, Su Wenjing is extremely overbearing; he strides into the Great Achievement Hall, gazing at Kong Xin with icy disdain, his eyes full of contempt.

Directly making him shut his mouth.

"You."

Kong Xin startled; he never expected Su Wenjing to be so overbearing—logically, Su Wenjing shouldn't be like this.

What is going on again?

Feeling Kong Xin's gaze, Su Wenjing's face remained calm; he wore a green robe, somewhat aged, yet at this moment he was spirited and vigorous.

He stared directly at Kong Xin.

"I, the old man, have endured and yielded for a long time."

"You have united a group of scholars, coming to seek my student Gu Jin Nian; how could I, the old man, not know your intentions?"

"All that was said, all that was done, isn't it just to take Gu Jin Nian's holy artifact?"

"I only wish the matter wouldn't become too ugly; I agreed you could see Gu Jin Nian, but I never imagined your methods were so filthy."

"He dares not appear himself, so he lets Sun Ru appear, and Sun Ru is just a corrupt scholar."

"Today, the matter has escalated to this point, drawing the common folk's insults toward Gu Jin Nian; you have already crossed my bottom line."

"If you dare continue this uproar, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Su Wenjing spoke, voicing his inner thoughts.

He knows the Kong family's purpose, but the reason he did not intervene is that he hopes the Kong family will retreat when faced with difficulty, and he does not want the matter to spiral out of control.

What he did not expect is that the Kong family repeatedly challenges him, testing his bottom line.

Since that's the case, he has nothing more to say; today he will completely tear off the façade.

"Brother Wenjing, the truth is not like that; some matters, the Kong family indeed acted wrongly."

At that moment, a voice sounded—it was Kong Zheng's voice; he was not in the Great Achievement Hall but had been assigned to another hall.

He did not appear amid these events because the Kong family deliberately arranged that they were not allowed to intervene.

Moreover, the Holy Ruler was also present, making it even harder for them to speak up.

Nevertheless, they harbored some anger; now that Su Wenjing stepped forward, Kong Zheng rushed over at once to apologize to Su Wenjing.

"What is wrong?"

"Kong Zheng, it's not your turn to speak here; return."

Seeing Kong Zheng speak, Kong Xin immediately shouted, rebuking him and ordering him to go back.

"Kong Xin, you."

Looking at Kong Xin, Kong Zheng couldn't help but clench his fists, his eyes flashing with anger, as he tried to speak the matter fully.

Another voice sounded.

"Return!"

The voice was calm, but to Kong Zheng's ears it rang like thunder exploding, making his whole body shiver, preventing him from speaking further.

It was Kong Wuya.

A moment later, Kong Wuya fixed his gaze on Su Wenjing, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Impressive, truly impressive."

"What power does the Crown Prince truly possess, that it can turn esteemed Great Scholars into such a state?"

"Su Wenjing, you are not Gu Jin Nian; you should know what it means to cause trouble here, shouldn't you?"

Kong Wuya spoke; he was not angry, but looked at Su Wenjing.

This is the Kong family.

Gu Jin Nian does not know what the Kong family signifies, which is normal because he is young and inexperienced.

Likewise, the arrogance of Lu Yuan and others stems from their ignorance of how terrifying the Kong family truly is.

But Su Wenjing is different; he should know what the Kong family means.

How terrifying the Kong family truly is.

Dare to cause trouble here—are they truly fearless? "I came today to protect my disciple."

"I don't care whether you are the Kong family or not; if you dare move my disciple, even if your Kong family's saint appears, I am not afraid."

Su Wenjing spoke, his aura overwhelmingly domineering; today he came to guard Gu Jin Nian.

Facing Su Wenjing's dominance.

Kong Wuya let out a cold laugh.

"Then let's see whether you have that ability."

He spoke, and the next moment, terrifying talent swept the entire Great Achievement Hall; behind Kong Wuya, five resplendent golden battle chariots appeared, exuding the aura of a Pre-Half-Saint.

Crack!

The sound of thunder exploding rang in his ears.

Kong Wuya became enraged.

He intended to suppress Su Wenjing and suppress Gu Jin Nian.

Yet faced with this scene, Su Wenjing remained utterly unafraid.

"Jin Nian, you continue to cut; the rest is left to me, your master."

Su Wenjing spoke calmly; after finishing, a Wen Mansion also materialized behind him, but it was more than just a Wen Mansion.

It was also a Wen Palace.

The entire Kong family trembled as unparalleled talent manifested, leaving everyone present in astonishment.

"Half Saint?"

"Su Wenjing has broken through to the Half Saint realm?"

"So he broke through to Half Saint; no wonder he has such confidence?"

"Hiss, a contemporary Half Saint?"

"It has always been said that Su Wenjing could become a Half Saint; I didn't expect he had already broken through, no wonder he emerged."

"It must be Heaven's Mandate; Heaven's Mandate made him a Half Saint, right?"

"Regardless of what it is, Master Wenjing has become a contemporary Half Saint; now trouble arises."

Voices rose one after another; at that moment, no one expected that Su Wenjing was actually a Half Saint.

Even the Kong family members did not anticipate Su Wenjing being a Half Saint.

Between a Great Scholar and a Half Saint lies a gap of 108,000 years; even Kong Wuya, a Pre-Half-Saint, at this moment is inferior to Su Wenjing.

The Wen Palace shone brilliantly, its talent like an ocean, framing the Wen Palace above.

Holy Punishment's Light blazed, dazzling to the point of blinding, and this terrifying sight left everyone astonished.

The Kong family trembled, and every building shook.

Amid the light, Su Wenjing appeared like a sage, and above his head a cauldron materialized—this was the Junzi Ding.

It was his Half‑Saint Instrument.

Establishing Speech opened the Wen Mansion.

Great Scholar evolved the Wen Palace.

Upon reaching the Half Saint realm, the Wen Palace became manifest, and additionally a Half‑Saint Instrument of its own would be born.

If one day becomes a saint, this becomes a Holy Instrument.

However, if one possesses a Confucian Sacred Instrument, one need not forge a Holy Instrument.

The Confucian Sage never forged a Holy Instrument; he directly mastered three Confucian Sacred Instruments, needing no other Holy Instruments.

In an instant, a dreadful pressure surged, and everyone felt Su Wenjing's Half Saint power.

This sense of oppression was beyond that of any realm.

Even Gu Jin Nian felt this unparalleled oppression; if the pressure given by the Great Scholar was merely somewhat strong—

The oppression from the Half Saint was incomparable; without invoking the Confucius Seal, one could not resist this pressure at all.

"Kong Wuya."

"You scheme to obtain my disciple's Holy Instrument, employing every means, even enlisting the power of scholars worldwide to suppress my disciple."

"Shall we settle this account today?"

Su Wenjing took a step forward.

He shouted a question, glaring at Kong Wuya.

Feeling this oppression, Kong Wuya's aged body instantly withered; his complexion turned grim, and he could no longer remain composed.

After countless calculations, no one anticipated that Su Wenjing would become a Half Saint.

"Quickly activate the great array."

Under such pressure, Kong Wuya truly could not clash with Su Wenjing; one was a Half Saint, the other a Pre‑Half‑Saint.

It seemed only half a rank apart, yet in reality they were 108,000 li apart.

He dared not be reckless, immediately ordering the activation of the formation within the Kong family to resist Su Wenjing.

Dong.

However, as Su Wenjing's thoughts shifted, the Half‑Saint Instrument above his head fell to the ground, and in an instant the entire Kong family quaked like an earthquake.

All formations were suppressed by this Junzi Ding.

Thus preventing Kong Wuya from activating the formation.

Yet under this pressure, a voice slowly rose.

"Enough."

The voice was soft, yet reached everyone's ears.

It was the Holy Ruler's voice; his expression was utterly calm. In fact, from the start the Holy Ruler had not spoken, whether anyone caused a commotion outside.

Whether Lu Yuan cursed, or Gu Jin Nian cursed, aside from Gu Jin Nian killing the Great Scholar, at other times the Holy Ruler said not a word, and his expression never changed.

But now, the Holy Ruler opened his mouth.

It made people suddenly realize something.

Indeed, this Holy Ruler had not spoken at all, from beginning to end.

The Holy Ruler is the true master of the Kong family; unless it involves the entire Holy Sage Pavilion, the Holy Ruler's word is absolute within the Kong family.

However, earlier Kong Xin and Kong Wuya had drawn all attention; now the crowd regained their senses, each inevitably looking at the Holy Ruler.

Boom.

Only, Su Wenjing stepped forward again, and Gu Jin Nian, without hesitation, under the exquisite Holy Ruler's ruler, further weakened the Kong family's talent.

However, the sacrifice was the second Wen Star.

"I said enough."

"Can't you hear?"

The Holy Ruler's expression turned completely cold; he stared at Su Wenjing, then turned his gaze to Gu Jin Nian.

At this moment, everyone fell silent, unsure of what would happen next.

Not only them, but essentially everyone in the Eastern Wilderness was watching this, curious how the encounter with the Half Saint Su Wenjing would conclude.

"I, the old man, demand justice."

Su Wenjing spoke, but he did not proceed further; instead he looked at the Holy Ruler and asked.

There was nothing more to say; only a demand for justice.

However, the Holy Ruler ignored Su Wenjing and looked at Gu Jin Nian.

"Gu Jin Nian."

"All these events began because of you; Sun Zhengnan's death is inseparably linked to you."

"No matter how you explain, no matter what you say, the man is already dead, and his talent was stripped by you."

"Now his beloved disciple has come to the Kong family, disrupting the family banquet; that displeases me as well."

"Only Kong Xin stepped forward; the punishments were dealt, the words spoken, and the Kong family solely seeks to resolve the matter, not to further entangle it."

"But you, repeatedly provoking; they call you arrogant, you deny it, yet consider this: at the Kong family banquet, so many people told you not to act."

"You, however, acted without restraint, beheading Sun Zhengnan's beloved disciple; I, the old man, ask, isn't that arrogance?"

The Holy Ruler stared at Gu Jin Nian, speaking line by line, his gaze growing ever colder.

Gu Jin Nian understood why he acted thus, still lecturing himself here, because of every scene here.

All were reflected in the Eastern Wilderness.

In this situation, the Holy Ruler is still employing that tactic; in the eyes of the world, he wants to portray himself as a man of reason.

Yet he himself is the one who does not reason, so he can legitimately suppress himself.

Thinking of this, Gu Jin Nian could not help but respond.

"Sun Zhengnan's affair is ultimately for this Prince's Saint's Artifact."

"This Prince would like to ask the Holy Ruler: this is my Saint's Artifact, on what grounds must I hand it over?"

"If now I were to make your Kong family hand over the Saint's Artifact, would you be willing?"

"If this Prince does not hand over the Saint's Artifact, does that mean he is ungrateful, or arrogant? You really are good at labeling."

"People like Sun Zhengnan, I still say the same: his death is not a loss; even if he were not dead, daring to appear here today, this Prince would also make him die."

"As for his beloved disciple."

"He repeatedly humiliates me, opening his mouth not as a man's son, closing his mouth not as a man's son."

"This Prince wants to ask: is this Da Xia Dynasty yours, the Kong family, or the Emperor's?"

"I am a Great Summer Zhen Guo Gong's Grandson, a Great Summer Nobility; this Prince's status comes from my ancestors' war merits."

"If you want to insult, insult; if you want to humiliate, humiliate? Who gave you the nerve? And who gave you the face?"

Gu Jin Nian also got fired up; the more he spoke, the more agitated he became.

Finally, he took a deep breath, his gaze ice‑cold, and said.

"Today, I, Gu, will say one final sentence: henceforth, you scholars, if any of you dare to insult this Prince again—whether by spreading rumors or by cursing—if you do not know the full cause and effect and make reckless judgments, the Prince will lightly reprimand, or severely behead."

Gu Jin Nian spoke; this was his intention.

He was damn angry, a dignified Great Summer Nobility, yet feeling like a wild grass that anyone could step on or shout at—giving him face? After uttering such domineering words, the scene remained silent.

But within the Eastern Wilderness, curses began to arise.

"Dog thief, today I will scold you!"

"What are you, really thinking you're invincible?"

"In the Fuyu Dynasty, I want to see if you dare to come kill me?"

"I've seen arrogance, but have I truly never seen this much arrogance? If you have the skill, come kill me."

"A thing like a dog only dares to brag; if you have the skill, come to my Great Jin Dynasty, I'll kill you as I would a chicken."

"The mad are eventually taken by heaven."

"Truly arrogant, how does such a person not go to death?"

The voices came from the whole Eastern Wilderness.

Boom—

At this moment, over the Kong family, dark clouds covered everything, Holy Punishment's Thunder; this was Gu Jin Nian's Saint's Punishment.

Previously it had been suppressed by the Linglong Saint Ruler, and now, with the curses like thunder, the Saint's Punishment appears again.

It was not merely a simple appearance; this time the Saint's Punishment covered the entire Chu Fu, its power more than ten times stronger than before.

Terrifying, even a Great Scholar standing under the Saint's Punishment inexplicably trembled.

With the Saint's Punishment's appearance, countless scholars rejoiced, and the common folk of the Fuyu Dynasty and the Great Jin Dynasty clapped and cheered.

The reason they acted thus is that Gu Jin Nian comes from the Da Xia Dynasty, not from their own dynasties.

Moreover, they already had a bad first impression of Gu Jin Nian, biased, and now seeing the Saint's Punishment, each one couldn't help shouting "good."

Each one wishes this Saint's Punishment would split Gu Jin Nian to death.

As for the Da Xia Dynasty, actually most common folk are a bit worried; they still lean towards Gu Jin Nian.

Of course a small portion feel displeased; after all, no one is perfect, not everyone can support Gu Jin Nian.

With the Saint's Punishment's appearance, within the Kong residence, many showed joy.

No matter how Gu Jin Nian twists arguments, no matter how he speaks, now he has provoked the masses; this Saint's Punishment is enough to take Gu Jin Nian's life.

"The mad are eventually taken by heaven."

"Gu Jin Nian, the Saint's Punishment has emerged, even Heaven and Earth deem your deeds unacceptable."

"However, I can give you one chance."

"A chance to turn back to the shore."

"Hand over the Saint's Artifact to the Kong family, pacify the world's anger; regarding Sun Zhengnan's affair, I will personally record his name in the Ancient Chronicles, resolving this feud; as for his beloved disciple's descendants, they shall enter my Kong family."

"I, the old man, do not wish this matter to be too rigid."

"You are a great talent, a great talent of Confucianism and Daoism; I, the old man, believe in you; the future you is destined to astonish the world, astonish the Confucian and Daoist realms."

"But now you have taken a wrong path; set aside the violence in your heart, set aside the hatred in your heart."

"Hand over the Saint's Artifact to the Kong family, join my Kong family, study diligently, comprehend the Sage's Way; when one day you become a Great Scholar, I will return the Artifact to you."

"Gu Jin Nian, this is your final chance."

"If you agree, I will act, resolve this Saint's Punishment; across the ages, few can withstand such a Saint's Punishment."

The Holy Ruler publicly declared; at this moment he seemed lofty, he wanted Gu Jin Nian to admit fault and accept punishment.

Then submit to the Kong family, become a member of the Kong family, even hand over the Saint's Artifact.

It was the same old argument.

"Fine."

"You want the Saint's Artifact, right?"

"I'll give it to you."

At this moment, Gu Jin Nian spoke, causing the crowd great surprise.

However, the next moment, the Saint Ruler before Gu Jin Nian erupted with incomparable brilliance, star souls poured into it one by one.

In an instant, the holy ruler's ruler, like a divine blade, struck the Kong family, instantly cutting away a tenth of their talent.

That is far more ruthless than before.

Gu Jin Nian went berserk, pouring all of his talent‑star soul into the holy ruler's ruler.

This is to burn both jade and stone.

A tenth of the Kong family's talent is no small amount; it is why the Kong family has prospered to this day.

It comes down to three points.

First, the heritage accumulated over generations.

Second, the empowerment of the holy artifact.

Third, the talent itself.

The Kong family's talent is the accumulation of generations, so descendants of the Kong family receive a torrent of talent upon birth.

Now that a tenth has been stripped away, the Kong family would need at least three generations of effort to restore it.

How could this not drive the Kong family mad?

"Gu Jin Nian."

"I, the old man, have already given you a chance." "It was you who refused it."

Seeing Gu Jin Nian still persisting obstinately, the Holy Ruler sighed.

Obviously, he still has a trump card, one that can make Gu Jin Nian regret.

The next moment.

The Holy Ruler spoke.

"Gu Jin Nian, as the Crown Prince of Da Xia, a Confucian‑Daoist prodigy, you should have a merciful heart in defending the people, yet you did not expect that, after obtaining the exquisite holy ruler's ruler, you lost your humanity and fell into demonic ways."

"With a violent and tyrannical heart, you poison scholars across the land, force the Great Scholar to death, the ruler slays Confucian students, and you have become completely demonic."

"I am the 73rd‑generation Holy Ruler of the Kong family."

"Today, I ask the holy artifact to revive, to suppress the demon within your heart."

"May the holy artifact emerge, in concert with the Saint's Punishment of heaven and earth."

The Holy Ruler opened his mouth.

At this moment, he held a Holy Ruler's Seal in his hand.

As the Holy Ruler's Seal vibrated, a terrifying torrent of talent spread in an instant.

"Go."

At this moment, the Royal Prince of Yu and Su Wenjing spoke simultaneously, intending to take Gu Jin Nian away.

Because the Kong family truly revived the holy artifact completely, and, using its power, amplified the Saint's Punishment.

They intend to put Gu Jin Nian to death.

Both spoke, especially Su Wenjing, who, with the Wen Mansion, forged a path to resist this force and escort Gu Jin Nian away.

And the Royal Prince of Yu immediately unleashed his Warrior King power.

"Holy Ruler, His Majesty has issued an edict: if you harm the Crown Prince, trampling the Kong family, you must not act recklessly."

The Royal Prince of Yu shouted loudly.

He even directly quoted the imperial decree.

But faced with this, the Holy Ruler's composure did not waver.

"I will not kill him."

"Instead I will give him a lesson; he is a Confucian‑Daoist scholar, the Kong family is a lineage of Confucian‑Daoist saints, and we have the right to intervene."

The Holy Ruler said calmly.

At this moment, he appeared lofty.

At this moment, not only he, but the entire Kong family seemed lofty.

Indeed.

They are members of the Kong family.

They are descendants of saints.

They are descendants of the First Generation Sage; as long as it concerns Confucian‑Daoist matters, they have the authority to intervene.

The Holy Ruler's words are simple: regarding Confucian‑Daoist affairs, they are qualified to intervene, and since they are qualified, it is not an affront to imperial authority.

To put it bluntly, the Kong family no longer gives face to the emperor.

They intend to seize the holy artifact, and simultaneously crush Gu Jin Nian completely, so that the world can see the consequences of offending the Kong family.

Don't think the Kong family truly lacks means.

They simply disdain using them.

"What a big mouth, a saintly lineage can act like this?"

"We've never heard of a saintly lineage behaving so; if the Kong sage revives, we fear they will have to teach you a lesson."

"Kong family, who truly is the arrogant one?"

At this moment, Su Wenjing, Yan Gong, Scholar Meng, Lu Yuan and others all spoke together, denouncing the Holy Ruler.

They also worried about Gu Jin Nian.

Especially Su Wenjing, who opened a space in the heavens, trying to protect Gu Jin Nian and get him out quickly.

But it was too late.

Boom boom boom.

Inside the Kong Temple.

Three beams of light shot up into the sky.

It causes the heavens and earth of this realm to change color.

Only then.

The Three Sacred Instruments are born at this moment.

A single brush, yet verdantly green, radiating holy light—this is the Spring and Autumn Brush.

A holy tome, flowing with the river of ages; all past and present lie within the Ancient Chronicles.

A mirror that can open a saint's small world—this is the Heaven-Inquiring Mirror.

With the Three Sacred Instruments' birth, a torrent of holy intent spreads, terrifying and all‑encompassing; though merely threads, they make everyone feel suffocated, despairing.

Nine Sacred Instruments of Confucianism.

Under the Kong family's utmost sacrifice, they begin to awaken and activate.

Above the firmament.

Holy Punishment's Final Form.

The Three Sacred Instruments shoot three unparalleled beams toward the firmament, injecting them into the Holy Punishment Amplification.

Holy Punishment's Clouds, Holy Punishment's Thunder, and even the scene of Holy Punishment's Lightning Dragons.

Something big is about to happen.

Under such heavenly might, Gu Jin Nian fears he truly cannot escape disaster.

At this moment, Su Wenjing, Yan Gong, Scholar Meng, Lu Yuan, Royal Prince of Yu, General Wang and others have their Confucian or martial power completely suppressed.

Suppressed by the Sacred Instrument.

Gu Jin Nian also possesses a Sacred Instrument, but his realm is insufficient to fully unleash its power.

And the Kong family actually cannot fully unleash the Sacred Instrument's power either; they can only revive the Sacred Instrument through other means.

Meanwhile, their revival of the Sacred Instrument is not to have it slay Gu Jin Nian, but to embed it within the Holy Punishment Amplification.

They intend to use the Saint's Punishment to completely eradicate Gu Jin Nian.

Make Gu Jin Nian suffer a colossal loss.

At this moment, countless people in the Eastern Wilderness watch, astonished by the scene, while the Fuyu Dynasty, the Great Jin Dynasty, and other nations cheer.

They look forward to Gu Jin Nian being killed by the Saint's Punishment.

Meanwhile, the Da Xia Dynasty, Great Emperor Yongsheng is enraged; the Kong family's actions have completely angered him.

"Kong family, you forced me."

At this moment, Great Emperor Yongsheng coldly speaks; he still has a trump card that can protect Gu Jin Nian.

He originally did not intend to use this trump card, but did not expect the Kong family to bring the situation to this point.

But, at this very moment.

Da Xia Chu Fu.

Within the Kong family.

Having sensed this terrifying Saint's Punishment aura.

Gu Jin Nian walks toward the hall's exterior.

The sky is pitch black, fierce winds rage; Gu Jin Nian steps out of the great hall, everyone steps back, not out of reverence but fear of being implicated.

"It's too late; you cannot leave now."

"Gu Jin Nian, hand over the Sacred Instrument, apologize, admit fault; there is still a chance to save yourself."

Kong Xin speaks; the appearance of the Three Sacred Instruments fills him with confidence, he stands lofty and addresses Gu Jin Nian thus.

Facing Kong Xin's voice.

Gu Jin Nian takes a deep breath.

He has no hesitation nor idle words; at this moment, he communicates with the Confucius Seal in his mind.

Amid the raging wind.

Gu Jin Nian's voice is calm, but his expression is resolutely firm.

"I am Gu Jin Nian."

"Suffering the unjust grievance of the Kong family."

"I, Gu, act with a clear conscience all my life."

"Today, I request Confucius to manifest, illuminate the ages, and cleanse my injustice for the student."

Gu Jin Nian speaks.

He is not overly flamboyant, but calmly declares.

As this voice resounds,

At this moment, everyone in the Kong family, from top to bottom, falls silent.

Each gaze toward Gu Jin Nian is filled with oddity.

At first they were especially curious about what Gu Jin Nian intended.

But they did not expect.

Gu Jin Nian actually said such words?

"Request Confucius to manifest? Illuminate the ages?"

"You, Gu Jin Nian, are indeed a Confucian‑Daoist prodigy, but even as a prodigy, can you summon the phantom of Confucius? Are you insane?"

"Not to mention you, Gu Jin Nian."

"Even if the Kong family employs the Three Sacred Instruments, they could not summon Confucius to manifest, right? Everyone looks at Gu Jin Nian as if at a fool."

"They truly cannot understand why Gu Jin Nian dares to say such words, truly thinking himself incomparable?"

"Is it shameful? Especially since after Gu Jin Nian finished speaking, the sky showed no change at all."

Indeed.

Not the slightest change.

This is everyone's subconscious thought.

Kong Ping, Kong Xin, Kong Wuya, and even the Holy Ruler showed a sneering meaning in their hearts.

But abruptly,

the crowd suddenly froze.

"No change?"

They lifted their heads, gazing at the firmament; the originally terrifying Saint's Punishment suddenly stopped.

"What is happening?"

People frowned and instantly realized.

It was mainly because Gu Jin Nian said to summon Confucius, which made them feel uneasy, so subconsciously they forgot.

Now, looking again, they saw the Saint's Punishment had stopped.

Quiet.

Quiet.

Extremely quiet.

Holy Punishment's Stop.

There was no raging wind either.

Everything seemed frozen.

As if time itself had stopped.

But at that very moment, someone exclaimed in astonishment.

"Look!"

"How can there be golden light on the ground?"

It was a Great Scholar; he pointed at the golden light on the ground and couldn't help exclaiming.

As his voice rang out,

the crowd couldn't help turning their eyes to the ground.

Indeed, strands of golden light surged out, looking extremely extraordinary.

Wah—lah! Wah—lah! As the golden light on the ground increased, it eventually formed a golden river that flooded everything.

In no time, golden Lotuses bloomed.

They appeared throughout the Qu Fu and then grew wildly.

"Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth, this is Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth, saintly omen, this is saintly omen, Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth!"

"Impossible, this is impossible, did Gu Jin Nian really revive the saint?"

"Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth, only when the saint appears can such an omen arise."

"Sss."

At this moment, some Great Scholars completely lost composure, pointing at the golden Lotus on the ground and emitting unparalleled sounds.

Golden Lotus Emerging from the Earth.

Saintly omen.

Each golden Lotus stood three zhang three chi tall, turning the whole Qu Fu into a golden world.

At this moment, everyone involuntarily held their breath, everyone couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Even the Kong family members were utterly stunned at this moment.

They didn't know what had happened.

"Did a saint truly appear? That's hardly possible, right?"

Su Wenjing was also bewildered; he knew Gu Jin Nian was immensely talented, a peerless scholar‑cultivator genius, but to summon a saint was somewhat absurd, right? "Look, up there in the sky."

Someone spoke again, pointing at the firmament, their voice trembling, saying

As that voice rang out,

Beams of gazes turned toward the firmament.

Then, clusters of golden clouds appeared, floating above the firmament, reflecting onto the earth.

These are Golden Auspicious Clouds, also a saintly omen.

Goo.

Kong Wuya swallowed a mouthful of saliva; fear flashed in his eyes. Though no saint's figure had appeared yet, he felt an inexplicable fear.

But the truly frightened one was not Kong Wuya, but Kong Ping.

For some unknown reason, he suddenly recalled a sentence Gu Jin Nian had said.

"Reinforce the Kong Temple?"

He inexplicably felt that the saint might truly appear.

Quiet.

Quiet.

Quiet.

Everything was extremely quiet; although omens kept appearing, the saint's figure never showed, which made them extremely curious, yet no one dared speak further.

The Heaven-Inquiring Mirror reflected this scene across the entire Eastern Wilderness realm.

In the Da Xia Dynasty, Emperor Yongsheng widened his eyes, gazing at everything.

At the Da Xia Academy, all the students watched this scene, including Fairy Yunrou, Fairy Yaochi, Wang Fugui and others, all watching together.

Da Xia Capital, countless commoners widened their eyes, watching the scene, they awaited the Sage's appearance.

Fuyu Dynasty, the two emperors Divine Luo and Fusang both watched this attentively, the imperial palace's great hall was utterly quiet.

Great Jin Dynasty, the Great Jin emperor also held his breath, watching all of this.

And at that very instant.

All of a sudden.

The heavens and earth suddenly darkened.

The entire Eastern Wilderness fell into darkness.

The sky was like ink, covering everything; one could not see a hand in front of them. All light was subdued, as if Eternal Night were approaching, and only Chu Fu had a golden light still illuminating everything.

The terrifying Eternal Night descended, filling hearts with dread, a dread that was unbearably painful.

It felt as if it were a Dark Age.

Oppression.

Despair.

Fear.

Afraid.

Various negative emotions surged in the heart, causing unease, discomfort, and dread.

But at that moment! Boom!!!!

Boom!!!!

Boom!!!!

A beam of unparalleled golden light, Holy Punishment's Light from the Sky.

This golden light, covering the heavens and earth, engulfed the entire Chu Fu, piercing this unparalleled Eternal Night.

This light.

Holy Punishment's Light Shooting Upwards.

This light.

Covering the heavens and earth.

This light.

Transcending past and present.

Holy Punishment's Voice, also at this moment, rang out completely.

This voice, like the Divine Voice, shook antiquity and dazzled the present, shocking every person's heart.

"Heaven did not give birth to me, Confucius' Title."

"Confucian Dao Eternal Night."

The vast, resonant voice, as if from eternity.

This voice pierced all darkness.

The oppression, unease, fear, and dread in everyone's hearts vanished in an instant.

It seemed as if hope was seen.

It seemed as if a savior were being born.

Confucian Sage! In humanity's darkest era, standing on Confucian Dao, establishing an immortal sect.

First Generation Sage.

Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations.

The horizon.

A figure of incomparable grandeur appeared.

He stood eight chi tall, Holy Punishment's Light with Holy Robe, surrounded by kirin, Phoenix, Golden Dragon, White Tiger and other divine beasts, and behind him Holy Punishment's Light with Seventy‑Two Sages.

This scene.

It was indelibly etched in countless hearts.

This scene.

It will never be forgotten by countless people for eternity.

Confucian Sage truly revived!

Confucian Sage truly revived!

The people were shocked, and also numb.

Who could have thought that a figure from the ancient age would cross the Time River and descend here.

The Time River appeared.

Behold, Confucian Sage, from the horizon, stepped down step by step upon the Time River.

Each step.

The light was towering.

Each step.

All were earth‑shaking and dazzling.

Each step.

All made the world go mad and be shocked.

Afraid.

Fear.

Shock.

Uneasy.

Countless emotions sprout in the hearts of countless living beings.

This is a sage.

The foremost sage of all ages.

Confucius.

Great Accomplishment Holy Ancestor.

Under the firmament.

Among the Kong family.

Gu Jin Nian gazed silently at Confucius.

Was his heart not also surging? Was his heart not also stirred? To see Confucius today.

All things, all kinds.

All grievances and debts.

Everything must finally come to an end.

"Student Gu Jin Nian."

"I bow to the Great Accomplishment Holy Ancestor."

Under the firmament.

Gu Jin Nian faced the incomparable radiance of the sage.

Toward this Great Accomplishment Holy Ancestor.

Toward this Confucian Sage.

With a deep bow.

And everyone fully regained their senses.

In an instant, across heaven and earth, voices rose in unison, countless sounds echoing.

"Student, I bow to the Great Accomplishment Holy Ancestor."

A magnificent voice resonated through all of heaven and earth.

(End of chapter)