Chapter 123

Tianshu Holy Land.

This is a Dao lineage with an exceptionally ancient heritage.

The Central Plains Land is vast and boundless, its prosperity even surpassing that of the Eastern Wasteland.

There are many Dao lineages here; besides the three great Ancient Imperial Dynasties of the Divine Prefecture, Ancient Hua, and Nine Li, there are also all manner of Great Teachings and Holy Lands, large and small.

And Tianshu Holy Land is one of them.

In former years, this Holy Land once produced a Quasi-Emperor level expert who reached an extremely lofty height.

Even though he could not rival the Life Forbidden Zones, his combat power was unrivaled across the entire Central State.

The world called him the Tianshu Quasi-Emperor.

And he brought the entire Tianshu Holy Land to the peak of glory.

At its zenith, the Holy Land's sphere of influence reached nearly one-tenth of the Central State, with branches spread across Tian Xia, even reaching the Eastern Wasteland and Northern Region.

Moreover, experts emerged in droves, and Great Saint level cultivators were not few in number; they stood poised to rival dynasties like Nine Li.

It is only a pity that the Tianshu Quasi-Emperor failed his breakthrough attempt, unable to prove the Dao and become Emperor.

After he passed away, Tianshu Holy Land gradually declined; even with Quasi-Emperor weapons guarding it, its downward trend could not be stopped.

Over the long years.

Like most Dao lineages that go downhill, Tianshu Holy Land also suffered pressure and erosion from other powers.

Its sphere of influence shrank step by step; some important source mines and medicine fields were slowly lost over the years.

Even powerful guest elders of the Holy Land, or newly recruited disciples of supreme talent, were sometimes poached away by the Hundred Schools through various methods.

Such a situation naturally made Tianshu Holy Land, whose ancestors had once been glorious, feel very lost, especially its high-level figures.

But even so, a dead camel is bigger than a horse.

As of today, Tianshu Holy Land still counts as a powerful Holy Land, comparable to the top few Great Teachings among the Hundred Schools.

Precisely because of this, the entire Holy Land is like it's holding its breath, wanting to restore its ancestors' glory.

And their having such ambition is not without basis.

On this day.

The Holy Maiden of Tianshu, together with several Supreme Elders, arrived before a forbidden ground in the deep parts of the Holy Land.

This place is extremely rare; looking across the entire Central Plains Land, it is also scarce.

One sees, beside an immortal pond, various ancient medicines growing in patches; ginseng roots have taken human shape, lingzhi and orchids cover the ground everywhere, inhaling and exhaling essence, the fragrance intoxicating; furthermore, a Qilin beast lies prone, auspicious birds appear and disappear.

Among the surrounding mountains, ancestral temples stand one after another, simple and grand, natural and imposing; some bloom with seven-colored divine rosy clouds, others have dense masses of scripture ancient characters floating in the air.

In the darkness, faintly comes the sound of sacrificial rites and Zen chanting, ethereal and far-reaching, a scene of myriad phenomena.

It can be said, this is a forbidden ground filled with auspicious qi.

And the source of all this is a Holy Spirit Stone Embryo in the dragon vein of Tianshu Holy Land!

Amidst the misty auspicious clouds, it floats and sinks in the sole ancestral cave of this dragon vein, undulating together with the rainbow, absorbing the essence of the ten directions.

Those surrounding auspicious scenes and propitious phenomena set off the Holy Spirit Stone Embryo as even more extraordinary.

Due to divine rules coiling around it, its appearance is very blurry; one can only vaguely see a human form, seemingly sitting cross-legged, very rough.

But it cannot be denied that within the entire Tianshu Holy Land and even the surrounding several hundred thousand li range, it is the darling of heaven and earth, almost the sole center.

"Any more questions? If not, let's begin according to plan."

The Holy Maiden of Tianshu stood before the Holy Spirit Ancient Cave and spoke.

This is a Great Saint realm female cultivator of graceful and noble bearing, wearing a Tianshu phoenix crown on her head, gold dangling hairpins hanging down, a feather robe flashing with rosy light.

Ordinarily, she is always composed and peaceful, quite majestic, truly possessing the bearing of a Holy Land master.

But at this moment, she appears somewhat excited, her phoenix eyes flashing with brilliant light, faintly also some apprehension, merely concealed very well.

The several Supreme Elders are not young; there are men and women, all with profound cultivation, at least at the Saint King Realm.

They looked at each other, and none had objections.

Therefore.

Following the Holy Maiden of Tianshu's single command, everyone rose into the air; centering on the ancestral cave of the Holy Spirit Stone Embryo, they formed a mysterious great array.

And the next moment, from the Holy Maiden of Tianshu's crown of the head, flew out several treasure vases made of Nine Heavens Divine Jade, arriving above the stone embryo.

Accompanied by the great array's profound fluctuations, the treasure vases were uncovered one by one, pouring out various different treasure bloods from within.

Every kind is crystal clear and dripping, brilliant light emitting; there is crimson red, golden, and emerald green, all emitting the aura of Great Dao fragments.

These are absolutely the treasure bloods of various supreme body constitutions in heaven and earth!

If a connoisseur were here, they would surely be able to distinguish that these clearly come from the Heavenly Demon Body, Divine King Body, Soul Body, Human King Body, Light Body, and so on.

Even, there is Desolate Ancient Holy Blood, as well as treasure blood suspected to be from an Ancient Emperor's offspring!

One doesn't know what price Tianshu Holy Land paid, to actually have them seek out such several flavors of treasure blood.

And at this moment, these incomparably precious bloods, accompanied by the great array's secret art, are seeping drop by drop into that Holy Spirit Stone Embryo.

In this process, the stone embryo trembles slightly, transmitting a very comfortable qi mechanism, very delighted.

A full three days passed before all the treasure bloods were "input".

And the Holy Maiden of Tianshu and the several Supreme Elders all had pale faces, their figures seeming to totter, looking like they had consumed an enormous amount.

Obviously, this is a very special great array, very draining on their Dao power.

But even so, they did not shrink back in the slightest; during the process they even swallowed divine pills prepared in advance to replenish vitality, ultimately making the treasure blood's efficacy reach its maximum.

And their hard work, it seems, has achieved a very intuitive effect.

One sees, for just those few brief breaths, the several people finally clearly saw the scene inside the stone embryo.

It is a flesh-and-blood human sitting cross-legged, whole body blooming with treasure radiance.

It is a young man!

This Divine Embryo appeared to be under twenty years old, sitting in meditation with eyes closed; his black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his bearing peerless and exquisite, beautiful to the ultimate degree!

Even the most beautiful woman in the history of the Central Plains Land would likely find it difficult to compare with him!

Moreover, Immortal Light flowed around his entire body, his divine radiance dazzling; he was simply a male immortal descended from the Immortal Domain to the mortal world.

So this is the so-called darling of heaven and earth, the Holy Spirit favored by the Upper Heaven?

At this moment, everyone, including the Holy Maiden of Tianshu and the Supreme Elders, was shocked to the point of dizziness and bewilderment, shaken by this ultimate beauty.

"Heaven and earth in harmony, nurturing such a Spirit Embryo is truly heart-stirring; I sense a strand of Immortal Opportunity."

A Supreme Elder couldn't help but murmur to herself; she had only been granted permission to see the Holy Spirit Stone Embryo very late, therefore she was all the more astonished.

In her view, the young man within the stone embryo had transcended into sainthood, without a doubt; his beauty did not belong to the mortal world, his body had long since turned to flesh and blood, his viscera and bones possessed an inexplicable immortal charm, specks of brilliance.

Another Supreme Elder, though also stunned by his splendor, revealed a trace of worry in her eyes.

"The Divine Embryo's potential is powerful beyond imagination; every inch of his body contains power like a vast ocean; if he ever appears in the world, there may be no one under heaven who can restrain him."

The worry implied in her words was very obvious.

Yet no one responded.

It wasn't that no one had thought of this point.

Only because Tianshu Holy Land had already sunk into decline for too long.

Ever since the Quasi-Emperor Ancestor of old passed away, among the descendants of later generations, there was no longer a single peerless expert who could be brought out to hold the fort.

Now, the Holy Land was declining day by day, and furthermore faced suppression from other Great Teachings and Divine Dynasties.

Everyone held their breath in their hearts, wanting to turn the tables, to fiercely strike back at those hostile forces!

And the only hope was this Holy Spirit in their own Dragon Vein Ancestral Cave.

As for the so-called worry, perhaps it had its reasoning.

But human hearts are made of flesh; the Holy Land had nurtured him for countless ages, they would surely remember some old affection.

Even if he doesn't help the Holy Land return to its peak, he wouldn't go so far as to harm them in return.

This was the thought of every single one of them.

Even that Supreme Elder who raised the worry was persuading herself this way in her heart.

And the next moment.

From the Holy Spirit's Ancestral Cave, a qi presence of intimacy and joy emerged, and gratitude was within it as well.

Allowing everyone outside to perceive it, and they trembled with wild joy.

According to their scriptures' records, the Holy Spirit Stone Embryo had been there since the founding of Tianshu Holy Land, treated as children by generations of sages, nurtured with heart's blood and various scriptures.

However, only in the recent thousands of years did the Divine Embryo begin to have subtle responses.

And now it even emitted a strand of acknowledging Divine Sense.

The Holy Land's hardship over countless years had ultimately not been in vain; a Great Saint Holy Spirit close to the Holy Land, if born, would be in no way inferior to the former Tianshu Quasi-Emperor!

It would absolutely be able to lead the entire Tianshu Holy Land back to the absolute peak, and even more glorious!

Finally.

This day arrived.

"Boom!"

From the direction of Tianshu Holy Land, a vast Blood Qi soared into the sky, piercing the Nine Heavens!

The Blood Qi reached a height of tens of thousands of zhang; a peerlessly beautiful man appeared, his qi surging to the stars, his aura powerful to the extreme, shaking the boundless earth!

This Holy Spirit had been born!

Not a stone man achieving the Dao, but formed from a strand of innate Essence Qi transforming into a flesh-and-blood body.

He stood towering in the sky above the Holy Land, black hair like a waterfall, figure tall and robust, face peerlessly beautiful, not the slightest flaw on his entire body, intoxicating!

And Great Dao qi coiled around his body, peerlessly powerful; merely a strand of qi presence leaking out caused all cultivators within endless surrounding distances to submit, even Great Saint Realm experts were no exception.

And the Tianshu Holy Land below was no exception either, but everyone was so excited their eyes brimmed with hot tears.

How many years of waiting, how many years of giving, finally they had waited until this day!

This kind of prestige made the people below feel that, not to mention the former Tianshu Quasi-Emperor, even the current Wu Shi, Nine You Quasi-Emperors and the like probably couldn't compare.

Because no matter which kind of Holy Spirit, once born, they are basically invincible existences of the same rank; in close-quarters combat, even more terrifying.

On the earth.

The stately, elegant, and peerless Holy Maiden of Tianshu summoned her courage, sending out a strand of Divine Sense, attempting to communicate with the Holy Spirit man in midair.

As the master of the Holy Land, her cultivation also counted as a generation's expert; now she was already a Great Sage existence.

The Divine Sense she sent out could naturally be noticed by the Holy Spirit man.

He opened his eyes, looking toward the crowd below.

"Responded?"

Including the Holy Maiden of Tianshu, everyone's eyes revealed anticipation, wanting to know how the Holy Spirit would treat them.

However.

They saw that in the Holy Spirit man's eyes, there was no intimacy or kindness whatsoever; there was only the indifference of ten thousand ages.

Even as divine light flashed, what surfaced in his gaze was incomparable contempt and disgust.

"Human race... disturbing my slumber, moving me to this place, deserve to die!"

Although his voice was not loud, it resounded through this expanse of heaven and earth.

What?

Why would he say such words?

The words spoken by the Holy Spirit man shocked everyone in Tianshu Holy Land below.

The vast majority of people did not understand why their Holy Land had nurtured him for so many years, expended endless heart's blood, and received in return such a heart-piercing verdict.

Only the Holy Maiden of Tianshu and several Supreme Elders understood the reason behind it.

Because in the past, it was indeed the Founding Ancestor of Tianshu Holy Land who, on a certain remote Ancient Star, discovered the Dragon Vein where this Holy Spirit resided.

At that time, the Holy Spirit was clearly still far from reaching the stage of taking form, very weak, with almost no consciousness, difficult to communicate with.

This Founding Ancestor was then moved, and conceived a thought that no one had ever realized since ancient times; afterward, with great Fa Li, he moved the entire Dragon Vein to the Central Plains Land of the Beidou Ancient Star.

After this, the Tianshu Holy Land was established upon the Dragon Vein.

Who could have imagined that this Holy Spirit clearly already possessed consciousness at that time, and recorded this grudge of relocation.

And he was truly worthy of being a heaven-born, earth-nurtured existence, wise to the extreme, enduring in silence until today.

During this period, intimate Qi fluctuations continuously emanated, drawing Tianshu Holy Land to unceasingly offer up various scriptures and treasure blood, strengthening him to a certain extent.

However.

Understanding was one thing, but the Holy Maiden of Tianshu and these several Supreme Elders were already powerless to turn the tide.

Such a Holy Spirit had already reached the Quasi-Emperor peak; with just one more ultimate leap, he could become an Imperial Path Expert.

Facing such an existence, even though they were Great Sage-level experts, they were like ants facing a dragon — the gap was too great.

And the next moment.

In the Holy Spirit man's eyes, there was no longer indifference, but instead a blood-red brimming with ferocity.

Seeing this scene, everyone of Tianshu Holy Land below was struck with terror, their hearts giving rise to great dread!

They had originally thought that this Holy Spirit's appearance could lead them to the peak, bringing immeasurable benefits.

Yet they never expected that what awaited them was a death warrant.

"Boom—!"

The Holy Spirit man did not hesitate in the slightest, directly striking down with a palm, unleashing boundless killing, without the slightest mercy.

As if there was a bone-deep hatred, accumulated grievances of long standing!

Just one strike, and the entire Tianshu Holy Land mountain protection array completely shattered and collapsed.

This was set up by the Tianshu Quasi-Emperor of the past expending great heart's blood, and in the subsequent years, all kinds of divine materials were continuously added to reinforce it; it had not weakened in the slightest, and had even strengthened to a certain degree.

But at this moment, it did not hold for even an instant.

As for the Holy Maiden of Tianshu and all experts flying up at the critical moment of life and death, together forming the sect grand array, they likewise did not block even an instant.

The gap was truly too great, only because this was a Holy Spirit about to achieve the Dao!

Without any surprise, the entire Tianshu Holy Land turned to ashes; everyone present died!

Amidst the boundless killing, on the Holy Maiden of Tianshu's beautiful face flashed a trace of regret, and then within that killing intent blazing to the extreme, she turned into fragments, ultimately pulverized.

The other Supreme Elders were much the same.

At the moment before death, they finally understood their mistake, but it was already too late.

"Still not enough!"

In this Holy Spirit's eyes, residual anger remained; a mere Tianshu Holy Land was still insufficient to dissipate his anger at being disturbed by the Jin Ren.

And he sensed that in this lifetime, there was no Great Emperor suppressing the world.

Therefore, he would next set out, heading for the surrounding Dao lineages, wishing to kill another wave, and only then head for the starry sky to comprehend the opportunity of proving the Dao.

The destruction of one Holy Land was not enough to shake the entire Beidou Ancient Star, and the Holy Spirit still concealed his Qi fluctuations.

But the surrounding numerous Dao lineages naturally learned of the catastrophe here, and sensed the Holy Spirit's imminent arrival.

"Heavens, how could it be like this……"

"My life is at an end……"

Countless people revealed despair, only able to wait for death's arrival, for the gap was too great, fundamentally impossible to resist or withstand a Holy Spirit.

Just as those sky-covering large hands were about to strike down, a supreme fluctuation traversed endless distance to arrive.

(Chapter End)