Chapter 271: Defeating Lu Ya to Seize the Investiture of the Gods

Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lu Ya.

He casually clasped his hands, gazed at the short old man in a crimson robe before him, and the Human Emperor's incarnation's mind rose with the other's information.

Fellow Daoist Lu Ya, son of the Haotian Shangdi of the previous era, is also a great divine ability holder who has attained perfection in creation.

Thinking this, the Human Emperor's incarnation's heart involuntarily gave rise to a hint of curiosity.

I don't know whether Lu Ya now knows that the Demon Buddha Ananda is a wisp of the obsession of his adoptive father reincarnated?

If he knew this information, I believe his expression would surely be wonderful.

Lu Ya does not clearly know what the Human Emperor's incarnation is thinking; he merely looks at him with a guarded expression, waiting for his next words.

Seeing this, the Human Emperor's incarnation also did not play mysterious, directly saying: 'Fellow Daoist, the Investiture of the Gods should be with you, right? This item is a Heavenly Dao magical artifact; it does not match your path, and you are not qualified to control it; now it should be handed over.'

After the initial Investiture of the Gods war, the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip became the mainstays of the Heavenly Court's gods, able to control the Heavenly Court's gods.

However, these two Heavenly Dao magical artifacts have never belonged to the Emperor of Light and Darkness; they are a means by which Yuanshi Tianzun and the Venerable of Morality restrain the Emperor of Light and Darkness.

The God-Beating Whip has always been wielded by Jiang Ziya and his descendants, and to the present era it has become the state treasure protecting Qi.

While the Investiture of the Gods has always been hung near the capital of the Zhou dynasty, becoming a symbol of the Zhou King's power and status.

Afterward, Yuanshi Tianzun drew the Investiture of the Gods world from the origin of time to conceal the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable's traces; many great beings of this world subsequently departed, this world's cultivation system was completely severed, and the Investiture of the Gods fell into the hands of Fellow Daoist Lu Ya.

The Six Paths Reincarnation Space is established upon the foundation of treasures such as the Reincarnation Seal and the Investiture of the Gods.

'Indeed.'

Hearing these words, Lu Ya's heart felt no surprise; his heart had actually long harbored a guess.

This fellow Daoist suspected to be a reincarnation of the Human Emperor, having embarked on the Human Way Unifying Heaven path, must necessarily covet the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip, manifestations of the Heavenly Dao's authority.

However, even with the Human Emperor's Sword in hand, for the other to obtain the Investiture of the Gods from him without paying a huge price is absolutely impossible.

'Hehe, Human Emperor.'

With thoughts turning in his mind, Lu Ya let out a cold snort: 'Hey, the Investiture of the Gods is a divine artifact that once controlled the gods of the ancient Heavenly Court; after the Heavenly Court fell, it has become ownerless.'

'And now that the Investiture of the Gods has come into my possession, it is naturally fated with me; for a Human Emperor fellow Daoist to demand I hand it over with a single sentence—don't you think that's too overbearing?'

'Overbearing?'

The Human Emperor's incarnation lowered his gaze, his tone calm as he said: 'Fellow Daoist Lu Ya, do you think I am negotiating with you?'

Having said this, he rubbed the hilt of his pale gold long sword, his tone shifting as he lightly said: 'Then I will change my wording, Lu Ya: hand over the Investiture of the Gods; today I can still spare your life; otherwise, I do not mind adding another creation-level soul beneath my Human Emperor's Sword.'

'Arrogant!'

Seeing the other's posture of being able to toy with him at will, Lu Ya's face sank and his aura surged: 'Just you?'

Before his voice even fell, Lu Ya's expression turned exceptionally cold, his eyes also showing a hint of disdain: 'Out of respect for the Human Emperor's Sword, I only deign to address you as Human Emperor; do you really think you are that medieval Human Emperor who once ruled the four extremes?'

As the son of the Haotian Shangdi of the previous era and also one of the few in the realms who has attained perfection in creation as a great divine ability holder, Lu Ya's heart is also quite arrogant.

Unless the true Other Shore Heavenly Will descends, otherwise, even if the opponent wields the Peerless Human Emperor's Sword of the Other Shore, his heart feels not the slightest fear.

Even if he cannot win, at least fleeing is no problem.

More importantly, Lu Ya actually loathes the Human Emperor's position, always feeling it is an encroachment upon the authority of the father he holds supreme in his heart.

'Sigh.'

The Human Emperor's incarnation sighed lightly and said: 'I originally did not want to make a move, but since Fellow Daoist Lu Ya does not know the heavenly numbers, today I will let you understand the weight of these two words, Human Emperor!'

His voice was not loud, but the moment it reached Lu Ya's ears, it made his spiritual sense continually tremble, as if something bad were about to happen.

Instinctively raising his head, Lu Ya locked gazes with a pair of profound, unfathomable double pupils, from which he saw his own reflection.

As if watching a playback, Lu Ya saw numerous scenes of his past to future rapidly playing within those double pupils, as if his past and future were both controlled by the figure before him.

'Impossible.'

'This Human Emperor hasn't even reached the Other Shore, how could he possibly control my past and future?'

Just as this thought arose in his heart, Lu Ya saw the figure before him extend his right hand, the pale gold long sword in his hand slashing down toward him.

Before the sword light had fully descended, Lu Ya suddenly felt a creepy sensation, as if some indescribable crisis were pressing upon his heart.

Fortunately, he had kept his spirit tense from the very beginning, never relaxing his vigilance toward the Human Emperor incarnation before him.

Seeing the opponent make a move, a vermilion small gourd appeared directly before him, emanating a soul‑capturing killing intent.

'Please, Baby Turn!'

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Ya directly circulated his condensed illusory Great Dao, activating this world‑renowned peerless divine weapon.

Sss

A point of cold light flared; from the vermilion gourd shot a thread of white light within which was a being with brows and eyes, a cold and ruthless expression, endless killing intent sweeping heaven and earth, causing even creation‑level great divine ability holders to feel their primordial spirits tremble.

In an instant, the white light tore through the void, surging toward the Human Emperor's incarnation to seal his primordial spirit.

As long as the Immortal‑Slaying Flying Dagger seals one, no matter how many selves or projections one possesses, all will be sealed together and perish simultaneously under Baby Turn.

It can be said this is a pure killing treasure.

Even creation‑level great divine ability holders dare not slight it in the slightest.

However, facing this white light that seemed able to still everything in the world, the Human Emperor's incarnation's expression did not change much.

Kingly Dao aura surrounded his person, instantly dispelling this killing intent that locked the primordial spirit.

At the same time, he lightly brought down his pale gold long sword, acting as if striking later yet arriving first, carrying the intent that all futures are fixed by destiny, and directly cut the white light.

Clang!

A resounding metal‑clash that shook heaven, earth, and the universe rang out; the power of all beings surrounded the Human Emperor's Sword, and the majestic, vast Kingly Dao sword aura collided with the Immortal‑Slaying Flying Dagger, causing the surrounding void to annihilate and heavenly principles to be shattered.

Hng!

Lu Ya let out a muffled grunt from his mouth, his eyes showing a hint of disbelief.

How could this be?

This Human Emperor clearly has not reached the Other Shore, so how could he be so powerful?

Wrong!

I might have misjudged the opponent's strength; this is another Blue Emperor, no, even more terrifying than the Blue Emperor before he landed.

Thinking this, Lu Ya felt a sense of unease, instinctively preparing to flee.

But before he could act, an indescribable fear suddenly welled up in his heart, as if an unimaginable great terror had descended, yet he could not fathom where the terror came from.

"This is."

Lu Ya's heart stirred, and he instinctively circulated his illusory Great Dao, gazing toward a point in the past.

After achieving perfection in creation, his condensed illusory Great Dao reached completion, feeling the cleansing of the Sea of Bitterness; he could now, to a limited extent, traverse the river of time and space, retrace past and future, and even manipulate the time-space river of ordinary universes in the illusory realm.

However, the world of the Investiture of the Gods is extremely special; its status is no different from that of the real world. In this world, Lu Ya can only retrace the past and future to a limited extent, and cannot fully control the river of time and space.

The next moment, a pale gold longsword flashed into his vision—not at the present moment, but a few instants earlier, descending upon his past self.

Upon the blade were carved the sun, moon, stars, mountains and rivers, immortals, gods, demons and monsters, and scenes of human beings; the power of all beings swirled around it, condensing into a kingly sword aura that overwhelmed all directions, leaving his past self no time to react.

"Not yet having reached the other shore, yet already able to act like a true other‑shore being, slaying opponents at a point in the past—is this what a Human Emperor is!"

This thought arose in his mind, and a hint of bitterness appeared at the corner of Lu Ya's mouth.

Sea of Bitterness!

No matter how strong he became, he could not stop his past self from being attacked, for the two exist in entirely different dimensions.

"This is heavenly will!"

Pfft

Although the present moment had not been harmed, Lu Ya spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his breath instantly waned.

However, he did not worry about his own injury; instead, a look of puzzlement appeared.

With the power of the Human Emperor's Sword, how could his past self possibly survive?

At that moment, the pale gold hue flowed, and the blade of the Human Emperor's Sword came to rest at Lu Ya's neck, yet it did not sever.

Gazing at the Human Emperor before him, whose eyes were deep and fixed on him, Lu Ya felt a glimmer of understanding.

With a stretch of his hand, a scroll appeared in his palm, glowing with a pale gold light, as if the principles of the Heavenly Dao had been materialized.

And written upon the scroll were three ancient, intricate seal characters:

The Investiture of the Gods!

On the other side, seeing the pale gold‑glowing scroll in Lu Ya's hand, the Human Emperor reached out and the scroll flew directly into his grasp.

Hum

The moment it landed in the Human Emperor's hand, the Investiture of the Gods trembled slightly, emitting a sacred and solemn light that harmonized perfectly with the imperial aura within him, as if directly acknowledging this new master.

Witnessing this, Lu Ya's expression grew somewhat grim.

As a former Heavenly Emperor, the son of Haotian God, his command of the Investiture of the Gods was actually inferior to that of the Human Emperor standing before him, who had just obtained it!

How could all this not make him feel anguished.

Meanwhile, with his mind linked to the Investiture of the Gods, he sensed the heavenly authority it contained; his own mind quivered slightly, his Human Emperor status seeming to resonate with it, a glimmer of comprehension appearing in his eyes as he understood the function of this heavenly implement.

Afterward, he looked at the feeble Lu Ya before him and said lightly, "Daoist Lu Ya, surrender a thread of your true spirit."

Lu Ya's face changed wildly; he could not help but want to erupt, but seeing the pale gold sword at his throat, his expression shifted again, and he finally forced himself to suppress his anger.

Although he was extremely unwilling, his strength being inferior, he now had no choice but to submit.

"Only by surviving is there hope!"

He pointed at his brow, and a hazy divine light emerged from Lu Ya's body, like an illusory phantom, directly sinking into the Investiture of the Gods held in the Human Emperor's hand.

In an instant, the Investiture of the Gods blazed with light; its legal symbols continually shifted, and Lu Ya's true name appeared upon the scroll.

Lu Ya let out a muffled groan, his breath growing ever weaker and his complexion worsening.

However, now that he was the meat on the chopping block, he dared not say more.

The Human Emperor observed the changes in the Investiture of the Gods, carefully contemplating the operation of its heavenly laws, a hint of understanding appearing in his eyes.

"Is this the Investiture of the Gods? It is indeed overbearing—no wonder Yuanshi Tianzun and the Moral Heavenly Venerable would not allow the Heavenly Emperor of Time to fully wield this heavenly implement!"

"If one could truly master this heavenly implement, the Heavenly Emperor of Time's heavenly authority would be complete, enabling him to truly command the ancient Heavenly Court, gather the fortune of all realms, and perhaps even become an ancient being—so why covet the fruit of the Fusang tree?"

"Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor of the primordial era could obtain complete heavenly authority—no wonder Haotian God and Donghuang Taiyi, these seasoned shore‑reachers, all covet the position of Heavenly Emperor!"

"If I accomplish the unification of the human way with heaven, using the Human Emperor's position to accommodate the authority of the five ancient emperors, and with the Investiture of the Gods and the God‑Beating Whip in hand, I would not only reach the other shore but could also gather the fortune of all realms through this opportunity, paving the way to become an ancient being."

After his thoughts turned, a moment later the Human Emperor retracted his Human Emperor's Sword, looked at Lu Ya, and said lightly, "Daoist Lu Ya, the world of the Investiture of the Gods is extraordinary; you shall continue to guard this realm."

Lu Ya forced out a faint smile and said respectfully, "I will obey Your Majesty's orders."

"Hmm."

The Human Emperor nodded, saying nothing further.

Anyway, it's just a idle move; if I could use this to trap a demon Buddha and make him stage a play of filial piety, that would be best.

His thoughts turning, the Human Emperor glanced at the sky, pondered the cosmic principles of this world, and faintly sensed something.

However, he did not investigate further, lest he cause a misunderstanding among the Three Pure Ones.

After a moment, he shifted his feet; his surroundings blurred with spacetime, and he stepped directly into it, vanishing from sight.

"Ah."

Seeing the Human Emperor's figure disappear, Lu Ya couldn't help but sigh.

Had I known, I would have simply handed over the Investiture of the Gods; I wouldn't have been so at others' mercy, and might even have earned some favor.

But who could have imagined that this Human Emperor would be so powerful!

If he had known beforehand that the opponent already possessed some other‑shore combat power, Lu Ya would not have shown his face at all, but would have abandoned this lair outright.

After sighing for a moment, Lu Ya glanced at the distant heavens and earth, transformed once more into a vermilion gourd, and returned to the crow's nest.

The world of the Investiture of the Gods, the palace of Qi State.

In a quiet chamber, Qi Huan Gong, who was cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes, a look of uncertain astonishment appearing: "God‑Beating Whip!"

Before his words faded, he gazed at a jade slip that had appeared before him at some unknown time; after a brief contemplation, he reached out, took it up, and sank his mind into it.

"Human immortals. Earth immortals, heavenly immortals—all realms are a legend; the sea of suffering, creation, the other shore."

Strands of slightly excited voices sounded from his mouth, his face also showing a hint of intoxication, as if he were immersed in the comprehension of the Great Dao recorded in the jade slip.

After an unknown amount of time, Qi Huan Gong withdrew his mind from the jade slip, firmly grasping it, as if he had grasped his own future path of the Great Dao.

"So that's how it is."

He let out a soft sigh, and Qi Huan Gong's eyes flashed with a hint of realization, completely letting go of the matter of the Divine-Beating Whip.

(End of chapter)