Chapter 479: Breaking the Rules to Achieve Sagehood
The Dragon Vein had been refined. Even if Emperor Qian killed Xu Sanyan now, the Dragon Vein could never be restored. Emperor Qian had lost completely, a total defeat.
But…
Emperor Qian glared fiercely at Xu Sanyan. Even in defeat, he wouldn’t let this demonfolk win!
“Kill him!”
Emperor Qian could see that Xu Sanyan was barely holding on, both men were pushing themselves to their limits. The difference was that the Qian Kingdom had more than just Emperor Qian—there was the Jade Dragon Guard, the Imperial Clan Court, and countless ministers.
Xu Sanyan, however, stood alone.
“Demon lord, meet your end!”
Dozens of figures flew into the Imperial Palace, their faces grim as they stared at Xu Sanyan. One of them couldn’t restrain himself and unleashed a torrent of violent spiritual power.
Xu Sanyan remained calm, his smile only growing brighter. With a wave of his hand, the crimson Demon Dragon circling in mid-air swooped down and plunged directly into his body.
“Aow~!”
With a final dragon’s roar, the Dragon Vein that had once belonged to the Qian Kingdom vanished completely. A Heaven-Piercing Blood Radiance erupted from Xu Sanyan’s body, shooting straight into the sky.
Unlike the golden pillar of light that had previously erupted from the Star Observation Pavilion, this crimson radiance emanated directly from Xu Sanyan’s body. Upon closer inspection, one could discern countless dragon-shaped Talisman Seals coalescing within the crimson glow.
These seals differed from the Heavenly Dao Marks. Each one was as red as blood, yet faintly etched with golden filigree, radiating a subtle, ethereal aura.
Centered around Xu Sanyan, spiritual energy from the heavens poured inward like a funnel, creating a raging vortex. The whirlwind engulfed all incoming attacks, channeling them directly into his body.
“This…” Yuan Zongtong’s eyes widened abruptly, a chilling realization dawning in his mind.
“Impossible!” Emperor Qian’s voice rose to a shrill pitch, his former imperial dignity replaced by raw terror.
“He’s trying to… become a Saint?!”
The truth finally struck them: Xu Sanyan had schemed to seize the Dragon Vein for this very purpose—to ascend to Sagehood through its power!
“Stop him! Stop him now!” Emperor Qian roared, brandishing his sword wildly like a madman.
Yuan Zongtong’s gaze flickered with indecision, but he ignored the Emperor’s frantic orders. The demon lord’s momentum was now unstoppable; any attempt to intervene would be futile. All they could do was hope his breakthrough failed.
Lin Fan finally entered the Imperial Palace, gazing at the figure enveloped in a storm of spiritual energy. A profound sense of desolation washed over him.
In the end, he couldn’t stop anything. He was too weak. Despite his desperate efforts to catch up to Xu Sanyan, the gap between them had only widened, growing so vast that he could no longer even see Xu Sanyan’s retreating back.
Fang Qingge pressed his lips into a thin line, his thoughts drifting back to their first meeting. Both had been merely at the Dao Seeking Realm then. Now, just a few years later, while he had barely touched the edge of the Soul Refining Realm, Xu Sanyan was already on the verge of becoming a sage.
The sheer disparity left him without even the will to try and catch up.
“The demon rises as the Dao wanes… a calamity for the world…”
Fang Qingge sensed that the threat Xu Sanyan posed to the world far surpassed that of the Chaotic Cloud Mountains or the Mist Sea.
Yang Qiyuan’s eyelids trembled slightly as she lowered her head in silence. She had completely abandoned any hope of acknowledging her husband. The gulf between them was too great, so vast that it filled her with fear, making her unable to face him directly.
Mo Xianxian, too, had fallen into despair. She knew that once Xu Sanyan successfully broke through, she would never have another chance for revenge.
The sage realm…
“Sage Realm…”
Outside the Imperial Capital, the Mad Daoist gazed into the distance, muttering under his breath.
He recalled the day he had impulsively recruited Xu Sanyan into the Holy Sect. At the time, Xu Sanyan was merely at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet, in just a few years, he was about to ascend to the Sage Realm.
It was far too rapid, unnaturally so.
The Mad Daoist knew Xu Sanyan must be concealing a secret, but now no one was qualified to uncover it.
Moreover, he couldn’t fathom why Xu Sanyan hadn’t absorbed the Gang Wind into his body, instead choosing to break through to the Sage Realm using the Dragon Vein. Could such a method truly work?
No one had ever attempted to break through using this method before.
The Mad Daoist recalled Xu Sanyan’s earlier question: “What is Earth Qi Spirit Essence?”
At the time, the Mad Daoist had told him that Dragon Veins were Earth Qi Spirit Essence. But he hadn’t revealed the full truth: not just Dragon Veins, but many famous rivers and mountains also nurtured Earth Qi Spirit Essence. Though difficult to find, it undoubtedly existed!
If Xu Sanyan succeeded in breaking through to the Sage Realm using this method, then…
The Mad Daoist’s eyes flickered. Could others also achieve this?
He already foresaw the future… The world’s power structure would undergo a cataclysmic shift. The five sages would no longer reign supreme over all living beings!
There were many cultivators like the Mad Daoist, trapped at the Perfected Void Harmony stage, too afraid to ascend to the Sage Realm. The Harmonious Heart Demonic Sect alone had three or four such individuals, and the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple and the Qian Kingdom likely had even more.
In the past, no one knew that one could break through to become a sage using Earth Qi Spirit Essence. The only known method involved absorbing Gang Wind into the body, a technique fraught with severe consequences and an extremely high failure rate.
If Xu Sanyan were to become a sage today, it would prove the viability of this new method. Others would inevitably rush to attempt it, and further successes would shatter the notion that the traditional method was the only path.
This method couldn’t be kept secret. Xu Sanyan’s actions today had created such a massive commotion that news would spread across the land with lightning speed.
If the consequences of achieving sagehood through this new method proved less severe, the five sages would inevitably be abandoned by the times.
Oh, wait, there are only four sages left now.
The recent death of the sage from the Heaven’s Will Demon Subduing Temple would only intensify their desperation, driving them to attempt this new method even more eagerly. While Earth Qi Spirit Essence was abundant, it wasn’t limitless. Competition for this resource would inevitably spark countless bloody conflicts.
The word “profit” posed a greater threat than the natural disaster in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains!
“The world is on the brink of chaos!”
The Mad Daoist’s gaze turned hollow, as if he were already witnessing the Central Region many years into the future.
From his perspective, he almost hoped Xu Sanyan would succeed. This would open a new path for all cultivators in the world.
Some wished for his success, but far more hoped for his failure.
Emperor Qian gnashed his silver teeth, wishing he could devour Xu Sanyan alive. He never imagined that his diligent and selfless dedication to state affairs, his refusal to indulge in personal pleasures, and his witnessing the nation’s growing prosperity would all end in such a catastrophic disaster.
First came the natural disaster in the Chaotic Cloud Mountains, then the Mist Sea, and now even the Dragon Vein was gone. Whether Xu Sanyan succeeded or not, Emperor Qian was destined to fail.
“Oh, merciless heavens! Why have you forsaken me so?”
Pfft!
Emperor Qian gazed skyward, his spirit utterly broken. His face visibly aged before his eyes. A sudden tightness gripped his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood before collapsing backward. The Holy Ancestor’s Sword plunged effortlessly into the ground, leaving only its hilt exposed.
Xu Sanyan remained oblivious to the outside world, his entire consciousness immersed within himself.
The Heavenly Dao Mark floated deep within his sea of consciousness, while the crimson Demon Dragon coiled and spiraled upward on the Heaven-Piercing Blood Radiance, soaring into the sky. Xu Sanyan’s consciousness drifted along with it, carried far beyond his physical form.
After an immeasurable span of time, Xu Sanyan opened his eyes to find himself standing above the clouds. He brushed aside the mist and looked down to see a figure standing amidst a raging storm of spiritual energy.
It was himself.
Embrace the cosmos, observe all creation, break the rules, and attain sagehood!
(End of the Chapter)