Chapter 191: Unaccepted by the World, Suppressed by Heaven and Earth

"This news was leaked by the Shenluo envoy Victor during the negotiations."

Zhao Shuhua said:

"Of course, it might not have been a slip of the tongue, but intentionally revealed for us to know. According to him, in two months the Shenluo Holy See will come to visit the New Nation together with the Sunlight People, and their Pope will also come in person; it is possible that the visitors have ill intentions."

Lu Yuan laughed upon hearing this:

"This must be because he couldn't wait to flex his muscles after successfully breaking through. However, this Shenluo Pope is truly a character. The Jin Dynasty has the Empowerment Great Method passed down through generations, yet many top experts have exhausted their efforts without ever crossing the Eighth Realm chasm. A Westerner actually managed to do it; even I am a bit curious."

Although he had never seen it with his own eyes, judging from the descriptions in various ancient fragments, a Martial Saint or Daoist Lord at the Ninth Realm level could likely compare to the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi in terms of cultivation level.

But a clever housewife cannot cook without rice; under the constraints of the world's environment, logically speaking, no matter how talented a person is, they should be unable to break through. How a Westerner could break the shackles is truly something that leaves one a bit puzzled.

It is just like how in the ancient times of Earth, when oxygen concentration was high, giant creatures like dinosaurs could be born and survive, but as the atmospheric concentration changed and the oxygen content on land dropped significantly, even without accidents like a meteorite hitting Earth, such massive creatures would be unable to continue surviving and would eventually go extinct.

It was precisely the Sunlight Cabinet Prime Minister and some new and old ministers who had been completely terrified at the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion square three months ago.

Lu Yuan inferred that this was likely because his reputation in the mortal world had reached its peak, with nowhere left to advance.

After he exited.

The entire station and even the platforms had long been cleared. National Leader Zuo Guanglie, bringing Zhao Shuhua and a group of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arrived here early to wait. Soon after, they saw a tall, majestic old man in white robes walk out of the carriage, followed by Shenluo people dressed as Knights and priests.

"This time we must cut their flesh and bleed them dry, and sell that so-called Yushen Emperor for a good price."

"Hahahaha, this is the first time seeing the Japanese thieves look like this; it's truly satisfying."

"Although the growth of Qi Luck has slowed down now, it shouldn't be difficult to reach 100,000 Qi Luck after another period of time."

However, he also discovered a problem from this: as he completely reached the pinnacle of the world, it seemed as if some kind of restriction had appeared in the dark, and the Luck Power could no longer increase by tens of thousands at a time as it once did.

Having said that, under his arrangement, the two parties walked out of the station and boarded the carriages waiting outside. Seeing so many people walking out one after another, the commoners outside the blockade were extremely excited:

"Hey, hey, did you see that? That old man in the white robe seems to be the Shenluo Pope?"

"Fortunately, I have the Heavenly Book as a reliance; otherwise, being the only cultivator in this world would be too desperate."

On the contrary, what the millions of commoners looked forward to most and loved to see was the scene in the near future where the high-level officials of Sunlight Country would come to Tianjing in person to redeem the Yushen Emperor.

Guan Ye Yixin, whose face was weathered and who seemed to have aged more than ten years in these three months, said in a low voice:

"It is indeed me. Greetings to the National Leader of the New Nation."

"Wait, I seem to have seen the Ninth Realm of cultivation in an ancient book. Those were peerless practitioners who only appeared in the ancient era and the early middle ages. They possessed peerless means to destroy mountains and break ridges, and were invincible in the secular world. Those who practiced Martial Arts at this realm were called Martial Saints, and those who practiced Daoist Arts were called True Monarchs. If that Shenluo Pope has really broken through to this realm, it is probably not a good thing."

"Strange... Shenzhou is the source of the Dao of cultivation. How did the Shenluo people do it? It wouldn't be fake, would it?"

While speaking, Zhao Shuhua and other accompanying personnel were observing quietly, seemingly curious about what was special about this Pope who had reached the realm of a Human God.

In just over a year, the vast New Nation had gone from being destitute and waiting for reconstruction to flourishing, and had even scared the former great powers into retreating and being forced to pay compensation. Such a transformation made many people feel as if they were living in a dream.

The most critical thing is.

"Look over there, look over there! Those people looking dejected as if there's a funeral at home must be the people from Sunlight Country!"

Today's world is still in the steam age, electricity has not been popularized, and the world is so vast. Even with him, an Immortal, helping the New Nation, it has no ability to rule the entire world; instead, it might be dragged down by successive uprisings and rebellions.

It is just like when forging weapons, the time and energy spent on forging a piece of refined iron blank and a piece of crude blank are completely different.

"What Human God? Is that him? He doesn't look any different from an ordinary person."

Unless he leads the New Nation to conquer the world, turns the whole world into the territory of the New Nation, and turns all ethnic groups and all mankind into the people of the New Nation, it will be difficult to have a major breakthrough in the growth of Qi Luck.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly:

"Shenluo is tens of thousands of miles away from Shenzhou, and I am too lazy to go find them. The Shenluo Pope coming here saves me some effort, and it just so happens to let me see what kind of skills this so-called Ninth Realm practitioner has."

That is, after the realm improved, the efficiency of Refining Essence into Qi was much lower than before; it takes about two days to barely condense a wisp of Dharma Power.

The lives and confidence of countless commoners in every province have been greatly boosted. Many representatives from the folk have submitted proposals one after another, demanding that Shenluo, which first bombarded the national gates and dumped opium, causing deep disasters to countless commoners, must also provide sufficient compensation as soon as possible.

This is not because of a lack of resource supply or his slackness, but purely because the quality of the Dharma Power and True Qi after entering the later stage is far higher than in the early and middle stages, and it requires more essence and Qi to condense.

As the voice fell, he and all the accompanying personnel behind him bowed their heads deeply, their expressions unclear.

At this time, the negotiations with Shenluo had basically stalled. Later, seemingly under the instigation of the Shenluo people, the Holy See Pope Saint Peter was suspected of breaking through to the unprecedented Ninth Stage cultivation realm and would visit the New Nation in the near future. When this news spread, it immediately caused quite a stir in Tianjing and even all provinces across the country:

"What? There is a Ninth Stage of cultivation? What kind of realm is this? Why have I never heard of it?"

Of course, increasing the levels of the two arts of 【Ingestion】 and 【Guidance】 again should be able to improve efficiency to a certain extent, but now it is not far from the 100,000 Qi Luck required to light up the Nine Breaths Serving Qi, and Lu Yuan does not want to waste it at this critical moment.

Whether it is the Sunlight people or the Shenluo Holy See, anyone who wants to visit the New Nation now must follow the arrangements. These people first arrived in Jinjin by ship, and then the Council arranged a special train to send them to Tianjing. Even the Shenluo Pope is no exception, unlike before when a steam airship dared to fly over the Tianjing Imperial City to show off.

The Shenluo Holy See Pope is a figure equal to the National Leader, so Zuo Guanglie personally led Zhao Shuhua and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to meet the white-robed old man who was surrounded, and asked with cupped hands:

"The speed of cultivation has gradually slowed down since the later stage of Refining Essence into Qi. When the time comes to want this realm to be perfected or even break through to Refining Qi into Spirit, I am afraid I will have to rely on the Supernatural Power of Nine Breaths Serving Qi."

It was precisely the Shenluo Holy See Pope Saint Peter, along with Abraham, Hellers, and several Cardinal Archbishops and their entourage.

"Are you the Pope of the Shenluo Holy See, Lord Saint Peter?"

Saint Peter seemed not to hear the subtext, nodded and smiled:

"Very good, I am looking forward to meeting your Heavenly Master. I have a premonition that it will be very interesting."

Zhao Shuhua did not know what these represented, only asked:

"Fart! The Supreme Heavenly Master is a true Immortal; how can he be compared to that so-called Pope of theirs!"

"Hmph, the Shenluo people are good at bragging. 'Human God', it sounds very powerful, but in reality, he probably isn't even fit to carry the Heavenly Master's shoes!"

The world is in the Age of Dharma Decline, and the world does not tolerate it. Now, Lu Yuan has already begun to have such a feeling faintly.

"I've heard of it for the first time too. The Shenluo Westerners at the embassy spread the news, saying that this realm is called a Human God there, and apart from our Heavenly Master, the only other one in the world is their Pope."

Two months passed in a flash, and soon it was the day for Sunlight Country to come to redeem people, plus the Shenluo Pope's visit to the New Nation.

With a thought, the Heavenly Book sent back feedback:

With a soft sigh, Lu Yuan slowly closed his eyes and fell into silence again.

"You are too kind. I heard that Your Holiness the Pope has been in seclusion for his octogenarian years and has reached an unprecedented realm. It is truly not easy. Our Heavenly Master also expressed his approval after hearing about it."

"Heavenly Master, are you agreeing to let them come for a visit?"

Compared to a month ago when he first left seclusion, his Qi Luck had increased by more than 6,000 units, obviously caused by him capturing the Yushen Emperor of Sunlight Country and shocking the world.

Without too much small talk, Zuo Guanglie just nodded and turned to look at the other side where the ministers of Sunlight Country had been waiting in silence:

"Which one is Prime Minister Guan Ye Yixin?"

A preliminary estimate suggests that to reach the perfection of Refining Essence into Qi, it will take at least another two or three years.

【Supernatural Power Master】: Lu Yuan

【Mastered Techniques】: -

Ingestion (Earth: 31%); - Guidance (Earth: 29%); - Invisibility (Earth: 7%); -

Staff Sending (Earth: 8%); - Medicine (Earth: 23%); - Earth Travel (Earth: 10%); -

Generating Light (Earth: 11%); - Sword Technique (Earth: 9%); - Boiling Stones (Earth: 17%); -

Pot Heaven (Earth: 3%); - Great Strength (Earth: 2%); - Sprouting (Earth: 7%); -

Wind Control (Earth: 7%); - Obstacle Clothing (Earth: 3%); - Dream Grafting (Earth: 1%); -

Body Immobilization (Earth: 3%); - Nightmare Prayer (Earth: 3%); - False Form (Earth: 1%): -

Cloning (Earth: 1%)

【Luck Power】: 87,647 units

In another carriage, a group of Sunlight People, slightly short in stature and each with a miserable and gloomy expression, were seen following closely behind as they walked out.

"Why not?"

"Perhaps after reaching the perfection of Refining Essence into Qi, I must explore the whereabouts of the Ancient Qi Practitioners and seek a new path."

However, looking them over, they found that this Pope looked no different from an ordinary old man from beginning to end; apart from a pair of eyes that were exceptionally deep and weathered, no special traits could be discerned.

A nation's soul being captured alive was a supreme humiliation; facing this group of utter losers, Zuo Guanglie felt no pity, only saying flatly:

Although it was praise, one could faintly sense the condescension in the other's tone; Zuo Guanglie's expression remained unchanged, and he only said coolly:

Even though he had just entered the late stage of Refining Essence into Qi, he now felt a kind of suppression between Heaven and Earth in the dark, making it so that practicing through normal methods began to become faintly sluggish.

Just like that, amidst the clamor.

Lu Yuan did not continue practicing, but instead fell into deep thought.

Ever since stepping into the late stage of Refining Essence into Qi, Lu Yuan had already discovered a major problem in his cultivation.

"I wonder where our Emperor is now, and if his health is still sound?"

As a disciple of the Heavenly Master Mansion, Zhao Shuhua viewed Lu Yuan as a god, and likewise did not believe that the so-called Shenluo Pope could stir up any trouble, so he immediately said respectfully:

"Yes, disciple understands."

"Good, we have already made arrangements at the Guest House; please let the Pope rest there first."

Of course, this was also because Lu Yuan did not want to waste such immense energy; otherwise, he could have upgraded the Nightmare Prayer Technique to the level of a Supernatural Power and directly brainwashed and forcibly controlled leaders all over the world, still having a chance to achieve this goal.

The Yushen Emperor continued to kneel and repent in the Yinghun Hall day after day; the subsequent news that the Sha'e Country had completely withdrawn from the occupied territories and paid a huge sum in compensation was soon learned by the citizens of the New Nation, and every province was elated and jubilant.

After Zuo Guanglie spoke, the accompanying translator was just about to translate, but Saint Peter smiled indifferently and said in clear, standard Chinese:

"No need for translation. You must be the head of the New Nation, Zuo Guanglie. I have heard of your deeds; being able to make the entire New Nation take on a brand-new look in one year, your administrative ability is astonishing."

Outside the renovated Tianjing City railway station, tens of thousands of people gathered outside the area cordoned off by officers and soldiers, and all the commoners were stretching their necks from far away, trying to catch a glimpse of something.

However, ruling the whole world...

Lu Yuan only thought about it for a moment before casting this unrealistic idea aside.

Various rumors were rampant; countless New Nation citizens were skeptical, some were worried, and more were dismissive, not taking the so-called Shenluo Pope seriously at all.

This day.

"Martial Saint, True Monarch, is there such a saying?"

And following such a scene of great public anticipation, a special train puffed out thick smoke and drove into the station amidst the roaring of its whistle.

This was not to say that the Dao of Heaven had a spirit and was deliberately suppressing him; it was purely that the Spiritual Machine of Heaven and Earth had almost been severed, and it was already difficult to support the cultivation of an existence like him.

"He is living very well in the Imperial City; you will be able to see him soon, so there is no need to worry. The Guest House is already prepared, so please go as well."

Time passed, and the days flew by.

"However... how did these guys come with the Shenluo people, and the timing of that Pope's visit is also very mysterious... Could it be that Shenluo wants to stand up for the Sunlight Country?"

"You just realized? That's too slow. The Shenluo Pope broke through to the so-called Ninth Stage not long ago, and immediately ran over to visit on the day the Sunlight Country was redeeming its people; who would believe there isn't another motive?"

"I think he might just be aiming for the Immortal, or even wanting to challenge the Immortal..."