Chapter 319: The Great Jing Immortal Dynasty (Part 7)
"Young man, by contemplating the meaning of life, you have passed the test of the great Lord of Supreme Wisdom. You shall become a loyal believer and change your destiny."
Yang Buwei: "?"
He vaguely saw gray mist rising from the snowy ground in the icy wilderness, gradually enveloping the entire world. Was this an illusion?
No, perhaps it was not.
Yang Buwei realized his body no longer felt cold. Instead, a warm current flowed through him, gently soothing his body like being held in his mother's arms as a child.
"Could I have encountered a heaven-defying opportunity?" he wondered.
He recalled the storybooks he had once scorned. Their protagonists were always those with severed meridians, lowly servants, or utter wastes who stumbled upon supreme opportunities and eventually became legends.
In the past, he had been neither crippled nor lowly, nor a waste. He had dismissed those tales.
Now, the winds of fortune had turned. His meridians were destroyed, his dantian crippled. He had become the ultimate trash.
Yang Buwei suddenly felt that those once-scorned stories might not have been entirely fictional. At least, he could relate to them now.
He only regretted not reading more of them. Now that he had encountered a real opportunity, he had no idea what to do.
The surrounding space was filled with gray mist. Yang Buwei gritted his teeth and walked forward.
He did not know how long he walked. It might have been an instant, or perhaps hundreds or thousands of years.
Finally, he reached the end of the gray space. He eagerly stepped through it and witnessed a scene he would never forget.
A ray of golden light shone upon his face.
Before him stood a towering golden giant with hands pressed together. Behind its head rotated a wheel of light far larger and more radiant than the sun itself.
With just one glance, Yang Buwei fell into a trance of devotion. A single thought filled his mind: he wanted to serve that figure.
He knelt respectfully and kowtowed toward the giant with utmost sincerity.
Sensing his devotion, something slowly emerged from beneath the gray mist in front of him. It sprouted, grew, and finally transformed into a golden, radiant fruit.
Yang Buwei carefully held the fruit and swallowed it.
A golden wheel of light slowly rose behind his head as well.
When he looked up again, the golden giant had vanished. He was still surrounded by drifting snow.
But now he had a purpose.
In his mind lay a treasury filled with endless knowledge—the wisdom created by supreme experts who could slay the heavens. As long as he worked hard, he too might become such a powerhouse.
A strange memory appeared in Yang Buwei's mind. It was a venerable-level technique.
This was the gift from the Lord of Supreme Wisdom. Even as a trash, he could cultivate it.
Yang Buwei saw hope for revenge.
Thirty years had passed.
Su Chen read the first letter Nan Hongsang had sent him. It contained many cultivation methods she had obtained beyond the domain. He smiled.
At the end of the letter, she described her experiences over the years and proudly listed her battle achievements: slaying the top genius of a clan, sweeping aside countless powerful enemies, exterminating an entire star domain, and rendering great service to the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty. She had become the top young genius of the Great Jing military.
Her handwriting, however, had not improved at all. It remained crooked and clumsy.
In these thirty years, Nan Hongsang had lived a dazzling life.
The Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty itself had changed little. In this vast world filled with immortals and eternal powers, thirty years was nothing more than the blink of an eye.
Yet beneath this calm surface, no one noticed that a new force was quietly rising in the shadows.
The Great Wisdom Divine Cult.
Its Lord of Supreme Wisdom was naturally Su Chen.
He had left the capital of the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty. His wisdom had grown terrifyingly powerful. As he aged, fragments of his inherited memories from his past lives gradually awakened. But it was not enough.
Su Chen began to lay out his plans. Using the Dao of Wisdom, he deduced suitable individuals across the realms, accepted them as believers, granted them access to the Treasury of Wisdom, and gathered techniques and knowledge from the myriad heavens for his own use. In return, he bestowed upon his believers boundless wisdom. The most outstanding among them could even open the Wheel of Wisdom and enter states of profound enlightenment.
In the future, these believers would become city lords, holy land successors, or even rulers of entire worlds. All their power would eventually become nourishment for the Human Emperor Art.
These unnoticed corners would one day become the greatest variables.
Su Chen put away the letter on the table, wrote a reply, and had it delivered to Nan Hongsang.
...
Nan Hongsang still remembered the day she left the capital. A mysterious being had appeared in her mind, guiding her cultivation ever since. Following its instructions, she had grown stronger and stronger, repeatedly slaying powerful enemies.
"My daughter Hongsang has entered the top ten thousand on the Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain's Pride List!"
Laughter rang out in the Nan Clan's army.
The Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain was immense. It was said to have been created by an existence above True Immortals, and it contained countless immortal lands. Only after leaving the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty did Nan Hongsang realize that their dynasty was merely a tiny corner of the vast Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain.
Countless powers similar to the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty existed within it. The Heavenly Gang Pride List only selected the top one million young geniuses from the past million years, with merely ten thousand spots available.
Ten thousand spots sounded like a lot, but across the entire Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain, it was insignificant. Even Great Emperors with nine-star aptitude might not qualify.
In the entire history of the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty across the three thousand provinces, only three people had ever made the list: the dynasty's founding ancestor, the current revitalizing ancestor Heavenly Martial Emperor, and the current Crown Prince, the Benevolent and Virtuous Supreme Emperor.
Nan Hongsang had become the fourth.
"My daughter Hongsang possesses the potential to become an Emperor Lord!"
Nan Clan army commander Nan Xiaoyue suddenly felt a twinge of regret for agreeing to betroth her to the Ninety-Ninth Prince.
"Whatever… The Heavenly Physician Great Emperor declared that Chen Chen cannot cultivate and will live at most a hundred years. Seventy years have already passed."
"That person who cannot cultivate and is hated by the heavens is probably already old and frail by now."
"Immortals and mortals are separated by a vast gulf. A single closed-door cultivation session for Hongsang might span Chen Chen's entire lifetime. She will probably soon forget that fleeting passerby in her life."
Nan Xiaoyue comforted himself with these thoughts.
On the other side, Nan Hongsang heard her father's laughter but felt no joy. In her hand was a secret letter.
'For Hongsang's Eyes Only.'
The familiar handwriting was elegant and graceful.
Nan Hongsang's heart fluttered with unease as she opened the letter.
Suddenly, her fingers clenched the letter so tightly that her arm trembled uncontrollably. She had never lost composure even when facing life-and-death crises on the battlefield, yet at this moment, tears shimmered in her eyes.
"He succeeded… Father didn't lie to me. The cultivation methods from beyond the domain really worked for him!"
Nan Hongsang had received the news she wanted most. Su Chen could cultivate now. The techniques she had sent back had truly taken effect!
Nan Xiaoyue walked in and saw the tears in his daughter's eyes. He thought to himself, "Is Hongsang so overjoyed about making the Heavenly Gang Pride List?"
Nan Hongsang held up the letter with a bright smile. "Thank you, Father. My husband can cultivate now. The techniques from outside the domain have allowed him to step back onto the path of cultivation. From now on, I will work even harder to earn military merits and exchange them for more methods for him!"
Nan Xiaoyue froze as if struck by lightning.
...
Chapter 320: The Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty (Part 8)
The Ninety-Ninth Prince of the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty could cultivate.
Su Chen had not hidden the news. He credited everything to the foreign techniques Nan Hongsang had sent him. By practicing methods from different paths beyond the domain, he had finally found one that suited him.
His mother in this life, the Absolute Heaven Consort, was overjoyed.
"I knew it! How could my child possibly be a waste who cannot cultivate?" she exclaimed. "That Heavenly Physician Great Emperor is nothing but a quack!"
She alternated between anger and laughter. Over the years, she had tried countless ways to help Su Chen cultivate but had found nothing. Now that he finally could, she was ecstatic. Even though Su Chen had not concealed his ability to cultivate, only his mother truly cared. Most people paid little attention and felt no great shock.
Su Chen was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet. Few believed that even if he could cultivate, he would suddenly transform into a peerless genius.
He walked into the rear courtyard. By the wide riverbank, an old man in a straw raincoat sat fishing.
Su Chen admitted he had been wrong. Besides Nan Hongsang and his mother, there was one other person who cared whether he could cultivate.
He stopped behind the old man. "Heavenly Physician Senior, why have you entered my residence without permission?"
The old man did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on the still river as he spoke calmly, "I simply want to know how the Ninety-Ninth Prince is able to cultivate. I am confident in my medical skills. In the entire Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain, you should not have been able to walk any path of cultivation."
Su Chen smiled faintly. "Senior, why don't you turn around and take another look?"
The Heavenly Physician Great Emperor turned his head. What he saw was a hand resting on top of his head.
Terror filled his face. He could not move, as powerless as a mortal, unable to utter a single word. He met a pair of eyes that carried a half-smiling expression.
"Senior… has no one ever told you that breaking into someone else's residence uninvited and prying into their secrets is extremely rude?"
The Heavenly Physician Great Emperor's body gradually hunched over. He slowly bowed toward the figure as if in repentance. Bit by bit, his form dissolved into countless streams of light that flowed into the wheel of light behind Su Chen's head.
As the Heavenly Physician Great Emperor dissolved into streams of light and merged with the Wheel of Wisdom behind Su Chen's head, the wheel glowed even brighter.
"So that's how it is…"
Many of the Heavenly Physician Great Emperor's memories flooded into Su Chen's mind. The reason the old man had been so certain he could never cultivate was that Su Chen's body closely resembled the legendary Immortal Curse Physique—a constitution cursed by a True Immortal, rendering one unable to cultivate for life.
Except in the presence of another True Immortal-level backer.
The Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty bowed to no immortals. The Heavenly Physician Great Emperor had wanted to probe the force behind Su Chen.
He had calculated everything except one thing: there was no other force behind Su Chen. The most terrifying existence had always been Su Chen himself.
"My true self's strength grows increasingly unfathomable," a voice said.
In the distance, another figure identical to Su Chen stepped forward. Compared to Su Chen's calm and tranquil demeanor, this one carried a steady, restrained power, like a hidden dragon ready to soar.
It was the Human Emperor incarnation.
In just a few decades, the Human Emperor incarnation had reached the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm. It had not been as simple as stepping onto the cultivation path late.
Su Chen said, "I've taken care of that person. From now on, be careful and don't expose yourself too early."
The "person" naturally referred to the Heavenly Physician Great Emperor.
With the risk to the Human Emperor incarnation removed, the incarnation nodded. "Thank you, True Self."
Su Chen smiled faintly. "I am you, and you are me. There is no need for thanks between us. The Great Wisdom Heaven has not yet fully formed. It is not suitable for me to remain in the capital for long. If the ancient ones notice any traces, it could affect the final opportunity and bring unnecessary trouble."
The Human Emperor incarnation nodded.
Seeing how obediently it listened, Su Chen felt satisfied. His body turned into countless points of light before the Human Emperor incarnation and gradually dissolved into nothingness. A fist-sized golden mysterious passage appeared briefly where he had stood, then sealed shut in an instant.
Su Chen had left the capital without anyone noticing or triggering any defenses. Such methods were truly chilling.
....
A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
The Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty achieved victory after victory in its campaign against the Barbarian Wolf Heavenly Domain. Countless geniuses rose to fame during the war, but the most dazzling among them was undoubtedly Nan Hongsang of the Nan Clan army.
Wielding her red-tasseled spear, she had defeated countless prodigies from the Barbarian Wolf Heavenly Domain. In less than two hundred years of cultivation, her strength approached the peak of the Quasi-Emperor realm. She had earned a place on the Heavenly Gang Immortal Domain Pride List and become the undisputed number one genius of the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty, shining brighter than anyone else.
While everyone's attention remained fixed on the decisive war between the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty and the Barbarian Wolf Heavenly Domain, no one noticed that within the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty, a church called the Great Wisdom Divine Cult was steadily growing stronger.
Yang Buwei had been a member of the Great Wisdom Divine Cult for one hundred and thirty years. He still remembered that snowy day when his cultivation was crippled and he was thrown out of the city like a dead dog, left to wait for the snow to bury him as he suffocated toward death.
He had not even possessed the strength to hate anymore.
It was in that moment of utter despair that he met the god in his heart—the Lord of Supreme Wisdom.
He received grace and became a believer of the Lord of Supreme Wisdom. To this day, he still could not fathom what kind of existence that was.
But from that day onward, his life had completely changed. All he needed to do was continuously offer knowledge, and he would receive blessings from the Lord of Supreme Wisdom.
With this ability, he rose from a complete waste and took revenge in just three years. He bathed the Yang Clan estate in blood to honor his slain father. He offered all the martial techniques and secret arts accumulated by the Yang Clan as a sacrifice and received a blessing from the Lord of Supreme Wisdom—a saint-level technique.
More than a hundred years had now passed. He had become a renowned Venerable whose name shook the continent. He began spreading the Great Wisdom Divine Cult.
In just a century, the Great Wisdom Divine Cult had grown into one of the top major sects on the continent.
Yang Buwei discovered that the more living beings joined the cult through him, the deeper his own understanding of the martial dao became. He broke through to the Saint realm and even created his own peerless technique. He intended to offer this self-created supreme art to the Lord of Supreme Wisdom.
...
In a vast, boundless space, a golden giant sat in meditation. All phenomena of the world surrounded him.
Beings like Yang Buwei were not alone. Over the past century, Su Chen had manifested as the Lord of Supreme Wisdom and spread his dao across the myriad realms, gathering countless believers.
Though this so-called "countless" was still insignificant compared to the vast Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty, only a hundred years had passed. In ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, or even longer, his believers would spread into every corner of the dynasty.
How terrifying would it be to gather the wisdom of all living beings for his own use? And that was only within the Great Jing Heavenly Dynasty. What about beyond it?
Achieving immortality through wisdom was no longer a mere dream.
The silent Su Chen suddenly sensed a ripple.
"The Great Joy and Sorrow Sacred Art?"
The memory of this technique flowed into his mind. It intrigued him greatly. It used joy and sorrow from the heart as fuel for cultivation.
The creator of this technique was someone familiar.
Su Chen had high hopes for this young talent.
"Very well. I shall grant you an opportunity. Do not disappoint me…"
Su Chen pointed casually. A portal suddenly opened in Yang Buwei's mind. He felt as if he had glimpsed the truths of the world. Like a dried-out sponge, he absorbed every ounce of creation and fortune.
Su Chen looked forward to what kind of existence this casual act would eventually forge. The wisdom of the heavens and earth was finite, but the wisdom of all living beings was infinite. There was still an endless road ahead if he wished to attain the immortal dao of eternal wisdom.