Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 392: Chapter 255: Divine Martial_2

“This is no god!”

Upon hearing this, the elder shook his head and asked the young girl, “Huaner, do you know who this statue represents?”

“This…”

The young girl, biting her finger, looked over the statue and then shook her head, saying, “Huaner does not know.”

Her words were innocent and genuine.

The temple had been abandoned for who knows how long, and the statue, left unattended, had been eroded by time and the elements, its features long since blurred, its form damaged, and under a layer of dust, who could recognize it?

The girl’s naïveté was clear, yet suddenly, from an angle, a voice chimed in, “This boy knows!”

“Oh?”

The elder let out a surprised sound and turned his head to look. He saw a disheveled and ragged beggar boy in the corner. Not minding his appearance, the elder simply asked, “Well then, what do you say?”

The beggar boy grinned, “This is the temple of the Divine Martial Ancestor, Heaven Martial Great Emperor—Xu Qingyang!”

“Crack!”

Before he had finished speaking, a sharp snap sounded.

Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw a young man in white clothes breaking a twig he used to skewer steamed buns, his eyes icy, his expression grim.

The elder glanced back at him, then turned his attention back to the boy and nodded in approval, “Correct, this indeed is the temple of the Divine Martial Ancestor, Heaven Martial Great Emperor!”

With that, he reached out and rubbed the girl’s head, laughing, “So this is not a statue of any ghostly deity, but an image of the Martial Ancestor, an emperor who stands alongside the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. We must of course respect and offer tribute.”

“Oh!”

The girl nodded, half-understanding, then curiously asked, “Then he must have been very powerful, right?”

“Powerful?”

“It’s more than just powerful!”

The elder smiled, seeming interested, and settled down beside the offering platform to begin his storytelling in a clear voice.

“The deeds of Heaven Martial Great Emperor date back fifteen thousand years ago.”

“Fifteen thousand years ago, it was the chaotic era at the end of the Sui dynasty.”

“In the dying days of the dynasty, the world was in turmoil. Emperor Yang of Sui was fatuous and without virtue, fond of grand accomplishments. He constructed canals, built the Eastern Capital, indulged in extreme luxuries, and heavily burdened the people. He was also aggressive in foreign affairs, waging war against the Tuyuhun, Ryukyu Nation, and thrice attacking Goguryeo.”

“As a result, the Emperor employed extortionate levies, and the people could scarcely bear the burden. Life became unbearable, leading to widespread rebellion, and as the nation’s fortunes waned, the great Sui dynasty teetered on the brink of collapse…”

“It was within this chaos, in the region of Xuzhou, that a man appeared. His surname was Xu, his given name Xian, styled Qingyang!”

The elder lowered his head to look at the girl, “Huaner, do you know what kind of situation Xu Qingyang was in, what he looked like back then?”

The girl, biting her finger, shook her head innocently, “Huaner doesn’t know.”

“He, well, he was a doctor!”

The elder smiled and glanced over, “But before he became a doctor, he was but a little beggar in Xuzhou City, hungry and cold, a beggar that couldn’t even fill his stomach.”

“Oh?”

The girl let out a soft sound of interest and curiously asked, “So how did he become Heaven Martial Great Emperor?”

“That’s a question for him to answer.”

The elder shook his head and muttered, “Legend has it that young Tian Wu begged in Xuzhou and dreamed of meeting an immortal who taught him the Immortal Law. Without a mentor, he mastered a unique medical skill that could bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bone. With this, he underwent a rebirth, made his stand in Xuzhou, opened a medical hall, offered healing to the world, and was revered by the people as a divine figure.”

“Amidst the chaos, with warlords arising, Tian Wu excelled both in medicine and martial arts and cultivated an unfathomable martial skill. With this, he established his dominance in Xuzhou, crushing all challengers, and was feared by the heroes, who honored him as the Defence Heavenly King!”

Subsequently, during the upheaval, when various factions struggled for dominance, the three Grandmasters, four noble families, and powers of both the Righteous and Evil Paths entered the fray to compete for the land.”

“Tian Wu, using Xuzhou as his base, laid out strategies to influence the whole nation. First, he broke the noble families; then he defeated the warriors of Martial World. With an imposing aura like a tiger, he made the three Grandmasters, four Holy Monks, the Sacred Places, and the Demon Sect succumb to his might.”

“From there on, Tian Wu alone commanded respect from all under heaven. Once the lands were united, he established a dynasty, thus becoming the Grand Ancestor of Zhou Dynasty, Heaven Martial Great Emperor!”

The old man’s expression changed inexplicably upon saying this and he sighed deeply, “Although the Grand Ancestor of Zhou Dynasty, the Heaven Martial Emperor, was an unrivaled monarch unseen in ancient and modern times, his actions were quite extreme. There were many acts that greatly upset the order of the land. When managing Xuzhou, he even carried out the strategy of ‘Replace the People or Item,’ causing fear among all, and stirring up public sentiment.”

“After the fight for the dragon’s legacy, his ‘I alone am honored’ policy meant that those who followed prospered and those who opposed perished. He first exterminated the practices of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, then forcefully suppressed the families across the land, equalized the wealth, seized land, enforced strict laws, and implemented harsh governance. He selected peasants and skilled craftsmen to combine the species of the Four Seas to develop agriculture and sericulture, and with the power of agriculture and sericulture, he pushed the development of industry and commerce… intending to create a world where everyone was like a dragon, and the realm was united.”

“Truly, it was a grand and magnificent vision, echoing through the ages!”

“But alas…”

The old man shook his head: “With selfishness in human hearts, it’s hard to endure such extremes, and the realm was in constant upheaval, fires of rebellion burning everywhere.”

“Although the Heaven Martial Emperor was powerful and unmatched, and even possessed the Divine Martial True Skill and the Wonderful Skill of Immortality, reigning for 800 years, winning over hearts, and establishing a system, he reaped the benefits of the moment. But human strength is finite after all, and eternal life does not mean invincibility.”

“After reigning for 800 years, the Heaven Martial Emperor entered the Temple of War God and ultimately passed away there.”

“After the passing of the Heaven Martial Emperor, the Zhou Dynasty, relying on its systems and laws, extended its power for another 800 years. But eventually, it couldn’t withstand the selfishness of people’s hearts, the degradation of the laws, and the collapse of the system. Ultimately, it followed the path of previous dynasties. Chaos engulfed the realm, warlords rose together, and the once mighty martial Zhou Dynasty crumbled into dust.”

Having finished speaking, the old man sighed again, “It is true what they say: ‘The people of Qin do not have the leisure to grieve for themselves, and yet the people of later times grieve for them. Those later people grieve but do not learn from the past, likewise causing others to grieve for them in turn.’”

“However…”

The old man’s tone shifted as he looked towards the young man in white clothes, “Although the Zhou Dynasty has perished and the martial nation has fallen, its achievements and effects still linger. Martial arts spread all over, and countless geniuses have emerged, heralding the start of the Divine Martial Era.”

Finishing his words, the old man smiled and turned towards the beggar in the corner, “Young friend, do you know what ‘Divine Martial’ is?”

“Heh heh heh!”

The little beggar gave a wide grin and boldly replied, “Of course, I know. Divine Martial, Divine Martial—one is divine, the other is martial. There’s no need to elaborate on the martial part; it’s none other than that Heaven Martial Great Emperor, the Divine Martial Ancestor. As for the divine part, it has to be the Temple of War God.”

“Correct, the Temple of War God!”

The old man nodded and said with a light laugh, “The Temple of War God, the treasure of the Martial Path, the divine relic of the world, presumed to be the immortal mansion of an ancient War God. Inside there are seventy-seven sculptures, known as the foremost Divine Skill throughout the ages, the source of all martial arts in the world—the War God’s Atlas!”

“With the opening of the Divine Martial Era, geniuses emerged like dragons, flocking to enter the Temple of War God and witness the War God’s Atlas. On the foundation left by the Heaven Martial Emperor, they created the Divine Martial Technique, sparking a world-shaking Great Age of confrontation!”

“Unfortunately, in the end…”

The old man shook his head, sighing, “When everyone becomes a dragon, they are all heroes. There is only strife among the heroes and none as supremely powerful as the Heaven Martial Emperor. No one stood out to suppress the world. In the end, everyone fought chaotically, the heavens split and the earth shattered, and the Great Age of Divine Martial ended up a catastrophic disaster, with countless achievements buried beneath the ruins.”

“A pity indeed, a lamentable tale!”

The old man shook his head and turned his eyes to the three young men in white: “If the Heaven Martial Emperor had not died and the Human Emperor still existed, perhaps things wouldn’t have come to such a pass. Would you not say so?”

“Humph!!!”

The young man in white snorted coldly and angrily drew his sword to stand: “Pretending to be profound, playing tricks— if you’re going to fight, just come at us, why all the posturing!”

“Indeed, fiery by nature, truly a remnant of the Tian Wu bloodline!”

Upon hearing this, the old man laughed and stroked his beard, saying, “The benefaction of a noble man is cut off after five generations; with the person gone, why go against the heavens? On the account of the merits of the Heaven Martial, hand over the Holy Relics and the Mysterious Ice Coffin, and this old man may let you go.”

“Heh heh heh, all this talk, very well-articulated, worthy of being the Blood Master ranked seventy-one in the Demon Sect on the Earth List!”

Facing the old man’s words, before the young man in white could respond, the little beggar beside him burst into laughter, “Such shamelessness, truly a faithful disciple of the Demon Sect’s teachings.”

“The same could be said for you!”

The old man’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the beggar, “I have long heard that the Undying God Beggar ranked fifty-third on the Earth List enjoys playing games with mortals, drunk with the dreams of the mortal world. Seeing you today, it seems the rumors are true.”

“Heh heh!”

The Undying God Beggar chuckled, “Alright, alright, no need for pleasantries. Let’s make a deal for Old Ghost Yan’s sake. You want the Mysterious Ice Coffin or the Holy Relics?”

“The Holy Relics are the Sacred Treasures of my Holy Gate, and the Mysterious Ice Coffin is even more precious to us; we simply can’t hand them over freely.”

The Blood Master shook his head, showing no fear of the Undying God Beggar, whose rank was far above his own.

Seeing this, the Undying God Beggar’s face grew cold, “Then there’s no deal to be made?”

“What deal? How about I join in?”

Before his words were finished, a lofty roar like a dragon’s came from outside the temple. Amidst the shocked expressions of those present, it burst violently into the dilapidated temple, shaking the ground and the mountains.