At the Martial Arts Headquarters (MAD), at Jingdu City on Earth…
“Where’s Minister Wang?”
“What, he hasn’t left seclusion yet?”
“There’s trouble in the west. That ape king of Skull Island attacked Australia yesterday and three of their elites were killed. There were countless casualties, with millions of civilians and military forces dead or injured, and their leaders are appealing for help and asking the Hua Nation to send our elites to help.”
“Lately, there has been unusual phenomenon around Mount Hua and Mount Emei. Our brothers at the intelligent department had investigated and found that the Spirit Qi in several locations had changed, and that condition has been slowly spreading over the nation and the globe, as if a second Revival of Qi would occur.”
Many intelligence updates were being submitted, and Secretary Zhou was the one who had accepted it.
He had now ascended up to divine-tier, and had returned to his original post following his ascension.
Noting down each update, he then said, “Everyone, Minister Wang intends to rise to a realm above Paragon in martial arts in his seclusion and open a path to the skies for every other martial artist. That’s why we would have to count on everyone here for other business.”
“Moreover, many elites of various immortal sects have returned, and the Ferals that have evolved amidst the second Revival of Qi are nothing to fear. As for Australia…”
Secretary Zhou thought about it and said, “That beast from Skull Island must be the strongest Feral Emperor on Earth.”
“The reason it had attacked Australia even though it had been hiding before must be because it had completed its evolution, or even gained a Daemon Cultivator’s legacy. None of us would win against it in Minister Wang’s absence anyway.”
The many Martial Arts Department’s elites were silent.
“Should we ask for Mister Jiang?”
Some asked, adding, “His strength is godly, and I heard that even his pets are unmatched in power. In fact, Mister Jiang just needs to send his dog to Australia to resolve the crisis.”
Secretary Zhou shook his head and flashed a pained smile. “How should we go to Mister Jiang just like that?”
“How about this? I’ll contact Mister Jiang later, and we would wait until Minister Wang steps out if he’s reluctant.”
The many elites of the MAD were about to leave when a frightening aura appeared within the MAD itself, and the entire building—all of Jingdu City, in fact—was quaking.
“That’s…”
“The direction of Minister Wang’s training room!”
Secretary Zhou and the other martial elites had all flown out of the building to find that a figure had crashed through one of the windows resoundingly before taking to the skies above.
“It’s Minister Wang!”
One of the martial elites cried, and was about to give chase when he realized that Minister Wang was too quick, and had punched through the atmosphere to reach outer space in almost a split second.
Kaboom!
Waves of rumbling echoed from outer space.
Soon, a Dao that stretched over thousands of miles materialized out there.
And on that Dao, Wang Hou’s aura was bursting and causing thousands of unusual phenomena, conjuring innumerable silhouettes on the Dao to project martial art techniques out of thin air.
Back at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist took to the skies and looked toward outer space with a face filled with shock.
The many Daoists of the Taixu Sect took to the skies with somber looks as well.
And in Shennongjia, Scale Dragons were circling the horizons.
Soon, the many Golden Immortals and True Immortals who had returned from the celestial battlefield had gathered, with veins of immortal wills flickering and interacting.
“Martial arts!”
Someone exclaimed in awe, “There was no such thing in the Qin dynasty, for all cultivators refined qi to gain strength and godliness, all of them hence treaded the path of immortal arts. Even physique refinement was a branch of the immortal path.”
“When Earth was unable to fight back once the Hundred Races invaded, the emperor of the commoners had crafted the twelve Bronze Men to seal the Dragon Vein and severed the Dao on the planet, as well as sealed the dimensions around it with the Star Map, preventing the Hundred Races’ elites from entering Earth. Even so, that made the practicing of immortal arts difficult, which was why martial arts was developed afterwards.”
“Still, martial artists had to study each tier on their own since martial arts is a difficult path… and while I had assumed that Paragon was an endpoint for martial arts, that man had gone a step further!”
Earth itself was quaking, with golden light flashing from beneath the ground.
Average Joes would not see a thing, but the Golden Immortals could see that the qi over the entire planet was churning and rushing beyond the skies, strengthening Wang Hou’s body.
“He is strengthened by the homeworld’s qi!”
A Golden Immortal’s expression changed as he exclaimed in shock, “His future is unimaginable if he doesn’t fall!”
“Grand Martial!”
“After he has founded a Dao for martial arts, he could attain Sainthood if he completes that grail!”
The many Golden Immortals were absolutely stunned.
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist even called out, “Quick, come up with a way to contact the Throne of Six Holies and inform them of this matter!”
Boom!
Suddenly, twelve dull booms echoed. Gigantic bronze statues could then be seen flying out from underground, and there were twelve of them.
“The Twelve Bronze Men!”
“They were sealing the Dragon Vein and the Six Holies were said to have had a hand in making them. Now that all twelve have appeared, the Dragon Vein would be utterly restored and the Dao of the homeworld reconnected. That means…”
The Golden Immortal left his sentence unfinished halfway through.
Even so, the shock in his bulging eyes could not be hidden.
The other Golden Immortals did not say a word, but the looks on their faces made it clear that they understood!
It meant that the Twelve Bronze Men acknowledged that person and the Dao of martial arts.
No…
The Twelve Bronze Men were mere mystic treasures and had no sentience.
The ones who acknowledged that man was therefore the Six Holies.
Likewise, it was the Six Saints who had acknowledge martial arts!
As Wang Hou ascended and invoked a resonance from the entire world, the appearance of the Twelve Bronze Men also rapidly thickened the Spirit Qi on Earth.
A martial artist who just reached rank-nine and trained with his blade paused, with a Blade Will manifesting on his body.
He could clearly feel that the world’s Dao was at his fingertips.
Moreover, cultivating martial arts had also become much simpler.
It was not him either.
Elsewhere across the globe, untold numbers of martial artists were ascending.
Even divine-tier martial artists had benefited considerably, with some grasping the Boundary of Wills.
Others had received the Four Lesser Retributions of the Nine Heavens as well, while some talented Void-tier elites reached Zero-Void in a single stroke.
It was only after a long time that the unusual phenomenon up in the sky disappeared.
The Dao that extended over thousands of miles disappeared.
Wang Hou descended from the skies then and landed outside Jingdu City.
Compared to before, his very presence had changed dramatically.
Perhaps because his power had developed too greatly, he did not control his strength perfectly when he landed. Momentum spilled, and the ground quaked and rumbled at his feet…
Boom!
The ground collapsed.
Then, a heritage site appeared.
Mystic radiance shone across all directions, with concentrated Spirit Qi rushing toward them.
Feeling a headache and at a loss for words, Wang Hou rubbed his temples. “I’ve always had great fortune in the first place and was the type who person who could find treasure from jumping off a cliff… Now, I’m even luckier after Earth’s qi has strengthened me. I would have to be careful if I go on a pleasure trip later, for who knows if I would stumble on some heritage site, grotto-heaven, or Secret Realm out of nowhere.”
Sighing, Wang Hou shot the heritage site a glance.
“It probably is a heritage site left by an ancient Void-tier elite… there might be some resources inside, so I’ll contact Secretary Zhou and have him bring some people here.”
After giving Secretary Zhou a call, he then called Jiang He as well.
There was a faint smile on his face when he dialed Jiang He’s number.
Before this, he had been useless, and Jiang He had to face everything alone.
But that was different now.
“Right now, my strength absolutely would not lose out to the Golden Immortals’, and I have the feeling that I have gained control over more than half of the Star Map’s authority now…”
He was anxious to tell Jiang He that he could offer assistance if there were more problems in the future.
The legion of the Hundred Races Alliance?
Scared, my foot!
However…
“I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is not within the coverage area…”
A machine-like voice spoke from the other end of the call.
Wang Hou frowned.
A foreboding thought suddenly came to mind then.
***
Meanwhile, Jiang He’s was bleeding all over as he fought Modolo.
Their battle had shifted from outer space down to the Black Demon Star.
Pow!
There were countless casualties as untold ranks of soldiers and Sky Demon civilians were caught in the shockwaves of their battle, with rivers of blood flowing. Jiang He had caused that on purpose, and though the Sky Demons’ elites were devastated, they were unable to stop him even if they wanted to, and had to watched as everything unfolded before their eyes.
Pow!
The two crashed into the each other before disentangling.
Modolo was faring worse than Jiang He.
The Demonic Qi armor over his body was filled with sword cuts, and he did not have the strength to recharge it.
There were at least forty sword slashes throughout his body.
Even so, his spirt was actually worse off.
“What monster is this brat?”
“Secret Yuan Spirit techniques could be casted without costs?”
Modolo ‘glanced’ at the sea of his consciousness and found that there the strand of Demonic Qi, which the Ancestor Demon had kept there to protect his spirit, was showing signs of fading.
Panting heavily, he stared at Jiang He who was equally out of breath as well… he had to admit that the wretch was stronger!
But…
So what if he was stronger?
Many prodigies had fallen through unnatural means, and only those who lived until the end were the victors.
Flashing a smile, Modolo laughed even as he panted, “Golden Immortal human, you are truly powerful that it’s extremely for me to kill you, even after I have played all my trump cards… even so, this is your limit, is it not?’
He waved his hand.
Hence, many Golden Immortals appeared over the horizon.
The White Sky God King took a look at Modolo and chuckled. “You actually failed to kill him, Modolo? Well, I guess that’s all you are capable of.”
“Heh!”
Modolo chuckled but said nothing.
Everyone could see for themselves how powerful that Golden Immortal human was. If the White Sky God King wanted to take advantage of this, he could let him be.
And that was certainly true.
Despite his own words, even the White Sky God King had a somber look in his eyes.
The aura around Jiang He’s body started climbing.
Sword radiance materialized in his palm.
The presence of a premium-grade acquired soul treasure extended.
Jiang He, however, shook his head.
“Sigh!”
He breathed a long sigh from his mouth.
A blue pill had appeared in his right palm, while his face showed bitter feebleness.
“I’m bloating a little!”
As a matter of fact, he was.
While he had assumed that he would be unmatched against all beneath Grand Luo after ascending to Golden Immortal, he did not imagine that reality would club him in the head before he could show his power!
A Golden Immortal Demon who appeared out of nowhere turned out to be equally matched against him, and Jiang He himself was left out of breath. It was no different from having a bucket of cold water thrown over his head, instantly cooling down Jiang He’s bloated heart.
“I am still too weak.”
He sighed lengthily.
Rearing his head, he ate a pepper and the blue pill.
