Chapter 182: Breaking the Shackles, Cleansing the World

"You two need not worry for me."

Pope Saint Peter gazed at the stone chamber before him and smiled indifferently:

"I have been preparing for this matter for many years; even without the appearance of that Shenzhou Immortal, I would have eventually taken this step."

"In fact, I should thank him. If not for his appearance, I would not have been able to confirm whether the cultivation realm of a Ninth Stage Human God truly existed, but now I can rest easy."

In the eyes of Hellers, the look of worry did not fade much:

"Your Holiness, church history records that the Ninth Stage has become a myth and legend; the environment of heaven and earth no longer allows for the existence of this level."

"The previous three generations of Popes have all used the Holy Baptism ritual, but without exception, they all suffered the collapse of soul and body. I implore you to be cautious."

In the cultivation system of the Shenluo Holy See, the so-called Ninth Stage of cultivation is called a Human God.

According to legend, a cultivator at this stage can break through the limits of lifespan, touch the truths of heaven and earth, and control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning just like a god; their lifespan is even longer than that of a country or a dynasty.

In the history of the Shenluo Holy See, the human incarnation of the Lord of Heaven was at this realm. He spread truth, goodness, and beauty to the suffering world, taught humanity how to use fire, how to use tools, and even how to cultivate. After his work was completed, he returned to Tianjie, leaving only legends behind.

In the thousands of years of the Holy See's history, several generations of exceptionally gifted Popes reached the realm of the Eighth Rank Human Saint, and then they pursued the legendary Ninth Stage Human God realm with great diligence, even gaining insights into the next path of cultivation.

However, under the restrictions of the environment of heaven and earth, the Eighth Rank boundary was considered unbreakable, and conventional methods could not break through it. Yet, over a thousand years ago, a brilliant Pope conceived of gathering the power of believers and using this force to cleanse the body and soul, thereby breaking through the boundary between life and death to enter the legendary realm of the Human God.

This method is the highest secret of the Holy See: the Holy Baptism ritual.

But although the concept was sound, this method also harbored immense danger; the power of believers' faith, gathered and collected by the Holy See through special methods, was not something a mortal body could withstand, even after purification.

The billions of prayers and distracting thoughts contained within were too vast and terrifying; even an Eighth Rank Human Saint, if suddenly exposed without preparation, would have their soul scattered and become a chaotic, ignorant idiot.

Just like the several Popes who had attempted it before, they all performed the Holy Baptism at the height of their power, with both body and mind in their strongest state, yet they all suffered heavy damage under the Holy Baptism ritual. Some died on the spot, some suffered complete mental collapse and became madmen under the impact of the terrifying power of faith, and even those in the best condition suffered severe physical and mental trauma, requiring several years of recuperation to recover.

Abraham frowned and said:

"Do not speak nonsense. His Holiness the Pope is the most powerful figure in the history of the Holy See; the failed examples of his predecessors will not happen to him."

Pope Saint Peter smiled:

"Although I am aged, I am currently at my peak. After years of my improvements and attempts, the danger of the Holy Baptism ritual has been reduced to a minimum. As long as one's will is sufficiently firm, there is a significant possibility of resisting the cleansing impact of the power of faith and achieving a complete transformation."

"Now that I am at my peak, if I do not take this opportunity to take this step, as I grow older and my vital life force declines, the success rate in the future will be even lower. Therefore, no matter what, I must attempt it."

Hellers fell silent at this, then lowered his head:

"I understand. I will guard you outside this Sanctuary until you have successfully completed your task."

Saint Peter nodded:

"The Holy Baptism will take at least half a year, and at most a year. During this time, the Holy See is entrusted to you. During this period, the Shenluo strategy should be primarily conservative; try your best not to provoke that Shenzhou Immortal. If I am unfortunately unable to walk out of the Sanctuary, then the next Pope shall be chosen by a vote of the twelve Cardinal Archbishops from the two of you."

These words sounded like a final testament. The expressions of Abraham and Hellers changed, and they knelt down in unison:

"Your Holiness, please retract these words."

"You are the most powerful existence in the history of the Holy See. With the protection of the Lord of Heaven, a mere Holy Baptism ritual cannot defeat you!"

In the weathered eyes of Pope Saint Peter was an unusual calmness, and he said:

"I hope so."

Having said this, he slowly turned around. The stone chamber door swung open, and the holy light within—sacred yet mingled with the prayers and repentance of countless believers—burst forth, completely swallowing his figure.

No one knew what had happened within the Shenluo Holy See.

At this moment, within the countries of Sha'e and Rizhao, secret preparations were also being made in full swing.

After the establishment of the New Nation, the forces of various countries were forced to withdraw, causing heavy losses to their internal factions, and they were filled with extreme hatred for the so-called Shenzhou Immortal.

Consequently, they tried every possible way to start with weapons research. Their weapons research departments began operating with unprecedented efficiency, hoping to create weapons powerful enough to deal with the Immortal.

As for the New Nation, the millions of people in every province only knew that after the mountains and rivers were reshaped and the New Nation was established, the world had taken on a brand-new look. All kinds of oppressive taxes that made it hard to breathe were abolished, and poor farmers not only received land but also had their burden of grain and tax payments greatly reduced.

Even more crucially, the Heavenly Master Mansion was successfully established. Peng Yidao, Zhao Shuhua, Lin Sheng, and other disciples personally selected over a thousand talents from the young people of the civil and military academies in each province and from folk experts with clean backgrounds. After a period of training and cultivation, they began to inspect the provinces.

The inspection was, naturally, to purge those who were corrupt and lawless in various places.

After all, although the new dynasty was established, the previous situation where various corrupt officials, landlords, and local tyrants treated human lives like grass and exploited the local people had not been thoroughly cleared away. There were not a few who had accumulated evil deeds but still brazenly continued to hold office locally.

In the past, it was extremely difficult to deal with these local snakes who protected each other; the inspecting officials often had the strength but nowhere to use it. However, these disciples of the Immortal from the Heavenly Master Mansion were mostly hot-blooded, ambitious young people. They didn't care about anything; like a sharp knife, they swept through every place. Wherever they went, as long as there were commoners crying out for justice, it would inevitably stir up a massive storm of blood.

No matter what kind of high-ranking official, warlord, or local tyrant they were, the Heavenly Master Mansion disciples treated them all equally. Minor crimes led to suspension and investigation, while major crimes were dealt with strictly and severely—the lighter punishments being confiscation of property and exile, and the heavier ones being public execution.

Bearing the golden signboard of being disciples of the Immortal from the Heavenly Master Mansion, with the authority to execute first and report later, no one dared to resist. Let alone landlords and local tyrants, even the main officials holding military and political power in various places were terrified into silence, and many took the initiative to confess in hopes of receiving lighter punishment.

This grand inspection lasted for nearly a year. All thirty-six provinces of Shenzhou were swept through. Among them, 1,937 landlords and local tyrants of all kinds were executed, 844 corrupt officials of all ranks were punished, and countless others were imprisoned.

After this inspection and purge, the atmosphere of Shenzhou was cleansed. Hundreds of millions of commoners regarded the Immortal's disciples from the Heavenly Master Mansion as their saviors. Even though the government had repeatedly issued orders forbidding the private construction of temples for Lu Yuan, in the slightly more remote areas, the commoners who had received land and seen their grievances redressed, and whose lives were improving at a visible rate, spontaneously and secretly built temples and statues for Lu Yuan, worshipping day and night, to the point where the government could barely manage it.

Just like this, this once-decayed and dark land radiated unprecedented potential and vitality. Everyone was full of hope, and the people's livelihood, national strength, and official governance were rapidly recovering and climbing in every direction, developing rapidly toward a prosperous age like a raging fire.

Time flies like an arrow, the sun and moon move like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, a full year had passed since the establishment of the New Nation and its flourishing development. On this day, inside the palace city that had become the office of the New Country Parliament.

In the morning, a carriage arrived, travel-worn, from the main road and drove straight into the parliamentary office area of the Imperial City.

This area was guarded everywhere, and idlers could not get close at all. However, after this carriage showed its token, it drove straight in and soon arrived before a palace that appeared exceptionally quiet on the surface but was actually heavily guarded.

It was the Qinian Hall where Lu Yuan was in seclusion and cultivation.

After the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng, whose appearance and temperament had changed greatly, hurried down from the carriage and went straight to the square outside the hall. Immediately, they saw the Qinian Hall, which was enclosed by a fence in the center, and a thatched cottage in front of the fence.

The appearance of such a thatched cottage in front of the magnificent palace was truly abrupt and incongruous. However, Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng were not surprised and quickly stepped forward, excitedly lowering their voices:

"Junior Brother Chen!"

"We have returned!"

A moment after the voice rang out.

The door of the thatched cottage opened, and Chen Zhantang, dressed in plain cloth, walked out with an indifferent smile on his face, unperturbed by favor or humiliation:

"Two Senior Brothers, long time no see."

Seeing that his temperament had changed greatly, becoming ethereal and refined, even a little close to Lu Yuan, Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng immediately showed expressions of shock and doubt:

"Junior Brother Chen, have you... succeeded?"

"You have completed the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment!?"

Chen Zhantang was exceptionally calm in his demeanor and said with a smile:

"Half a month ago, I was fortunate enough to complete this stage; it can be considered not bringing shame to the Heavenly Master."

Peng Yidao and the other man immediately became incredibly envious, even feeling ashamed of their own inferiority:

"Zen Meditation Sitting and opening the Qi Pulse—our progress after bitter cultivation until now is not even one-third; comparing people to others is enough to infuriate one."

"Indeed, among all of us, only you are the most likely to gain the favor of the Heavenly Master; we are afraid we have no hope for the rest of our lives."

After Chen Zhantang obtained the Guiding Technique, Lu Yuan had treated them all equally before entering seclusion, passing the basic cultivation method to the two of them as well, and giving them the same exhortations.

Naturally, they were also wild with joy, and almost all the time outside of their duties for the Heavenly Master Mansion was spent on this cultivation technique; however, they deeply felt what it meant to be obscure and difficult, with slow progress.

In a full year, they had only completed less than one-third of the Qi Pulse required for the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment; compared to Chen Zhantang, it was simply a difference as vast as Heaven and Earth.

Chen Zhantang, however, was not at all complacent or self-satisfied, and shook his head saying:

"Two Senior Brothers, do not say that. Your natural talents are not poor; it is only because you are entangled in the official business of the Heavenly Master Mansion, running around everywhere to inspect the world, that your progress is relatively slow."

"Moreover, there is nothing worth being proud of in completing the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment within a year. Since this realm is called 'Hundred Days,' it means that under normal circumstances, it can be completed in one hundred days. What does it count for that I used more than three times that amount of time?"

"According to the Guiding Technique, the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment is merely the foundation of the foundation, just like standing on a stake in martial arts. The truly huge hurdle is the Refining Essence into Qi after Refining Grain into Essence. Only by cultivating True Qi can one be considered to have truly stepped onto the path of the Dao. I do not know if I can reach this step before my lifespan ends."

Having also studied the Guiding Technique and knowing that what Chen Zhantang said was not false, Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng shook their heads and sighed:

"At least you still have hope of stepping onto the path of the Dao; our two aptitudes are dull, and I am afraid we are not so lucky."

"The Heavenly Master has long warned that if one cannot complete the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment within a year, continuing to practice the Guiding Technique is just a waste of time, so I plan to give up after completing the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment."

Chen Zhantang now deeply understood the difficulty of practicing the Guiding Technique and nodded, saying:

"That is also a wise move. Let's not talk about this; how is your situation outside now? Clearing out those parasites and malignant tumors must not be easy, right?"

Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng both revealed smiles:

"It is alright. The majesty of the Heavenly Master is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The Heavenly Master Mansion has now also recruited many experts; even Grandmasters like Martial Arts Masters and Martial Taidou hold posts. Those corrupt officials and local bullies have no guts to resist at all."

"Junior Brother Chen, you do not know this, but one does not know until one investigates; once investigated, it is shocking. The situation in each province is simply appalling. In the past, it was not only the Jin Clan acting recklessly; the Han people who aided the tyrant and abused the local areas were also everywhere. If it were not for this thorough cleaning, these scoundrels would have really escaped, and perhaps even openly held power. Then our sin would be great!"

"In this year, we have executed thousands of corrupt and lawless people. In almost every province, more than a hundred people had to be executed; we almost could not kill them fast enough. Fortunately, after this round of cleaning, the world is clear and bright, and the common people can live a peaceful life. We intend to organize the Heavenly Master Mansion to inspect the world every five years from now on, so that those stupid things that harm the country and the people have nowhere to hide!"

"Good!"

Although Chen Zhantang had chosen another path, hearing the outstanding achievements of Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng, he could not help but clap his hands in praise:

"Cleansing the world, the great achievements of the two Senior Brothers should be recorded in history!"

The two laughed:

"Not just us. We only wielded the blades and killed with satisfaction; Zhao Shuhua and the others were responsible for the investigation, trial, and follow-up, which was much harder than ours. Even now, they cannot find the time to come back."

"Calculating the days, the Heavenly Master should be coming out of seclusion in these few days. We two plan to wait here for him to come out of seclusion to express our sincerity."

Even now, the three of them had not been officially accepted into the sect by Lu Yuan, and Chen Zhantang also nodded:

"Good, the two Senior Brothers shall stay here with me, and wait until the Heavenly Master he—"

Hum.

Just at this moment, from the Qinian Hall standing behind them, a vast and spiritually dynamic fluctuation suddenly emanated, which also caused Chen Zhantang to turn around abruptly, his eyes excited:

"The Heavenly Master has come out of seclusion!"