Chapter 239: Half-Saint

Chapter 239: Half-Saint

October 22, 2024

"His soul token is shattered!"

In the Yuhua Holy Land, an elder rushed in and reported to the Yuhua Holy Master.

The Holy Master's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Whose soul token is shattered?"

"The soul token of the Sword Peak's Master is shattered!"

The elder steadied himself before continuing.

Upon hearing this, the Yuhua Holy Master's expression changed dramatically.

"Master Qu is dead?"

"Yes—"

The elder was about to say more when he noticed that the Yuhua Holy Master had already vanished.

In the Soul Hall of the Sword Peak, the Yuhua Holy Master appeared.

He looked at the shattered soul token at the top, his face dark and ominous.

"Qu Huadao is dead!"

"Who could have killed Qu Huadao? Could it be that the Nine Realms truly harbor ominous forces—"

Although the Yuhua Holy Master had intended for Qu Huadao to explore the Nine Realms, he never expected the man to fall there.

After all, the Master of the Sword Peak was a top-tier expert who had reached the Ninth Level of the Dao Palace Realm.

In terms of cultivation, he was only one level below the Yuhua Holy Master himself.

Such a level of strength made him a peak figure in the entire Eastern Domain. Now, he had fallen in the Nine Realms, which naturally shocked the Yuhua Holy Master.

Immediately, the Yuhua Holy Master summoned numerous elders of the Holy Land, informed them of Qu Huadao's death, and dispatched some cultivators to investigate the situation in the Nine Realms.

Even if Qu Huadao had fallen, they needed to gather useful information.

However, within just five days, news about the Nine Realms had spread widely.

"Shattered the Flame Sun Mirror!"

"Subdued the Flame Sun Holy Man!"

"The Nine Realms have been barren for a long time, so when did such a powerful figure emerge—"

The Yuhua Holy Master read the intelligence in his hands, his face showing a hint of shock.

Even if the Yuhua Holy Master were to act personally, he had no confidence in shattering a holy weapon or subduing a holy man's divine consciousness.

If it were just subduing the divine consciousness of a holy man, that would be one thing.

But this divine consciousness held a holy weapon, making it equivalent to a living holy man. Even with the Yuhua Holy Master's confidence, he lacked the strength to contend with such an existence.

Upon receiving this news, the Yuhua Holy Master's first reaction was disbelief.

But as the news spread, the Shangguan Family was attacked, and many of its strong cultivators fell. The once-great holy family was now on the verge of decline, confirming the truth of the matter.

The Nine Realms!

There is now a living holy man there!

"I never thought that old Qu Huadao would fall in the Nine Realms. According to the reports, even if the figure in the Nine Realms isn't a true holy man, he is likely not far off.

"Now that one of our Sword Peak's Masters has fallen, if we don't make a statement, it will make our Yuhua Holy Land look weak!"

The speaker was a rugged-looking middle-aged cultivator with a loud voice, causing many to frown but not speak.

This was Nan Kuang, the current Master of the Blade Peak, a Ninth Level Dao Palace Realm expert.

Although Nan Kuang was one level below Qu Huadao in cultivation, in terms of true combat power, he was not much weaker than the fallen Master of the Sword Peak.

At this moment, the Master of the Artifact Peak, Chiyang, slowly said, "Master Nan, your words are off the mark. While the face of the Yuhua Holy Land is important, dealing with a being on par with a holy man would come at a great cost."

"To put it bluntly, who among us here, even if we carry a holy weapon, would not end up like the Shangguan Family? If we were to use a great holy weapon, subduing this person would not be a problem."

"But—"

"To summon a great holy weapon, without the command of a holy man, we would need a blood sacrifice. Paying such a high price just to kill him would not benefit our Yuhua Holy Land in the long run."

In Chiyang's view, paying such a high price for a mere show of strength was not worth it.

Upon hearing this, the other Peak Masters nodded slightly.

"Chiyang Peak Master is right. Master Qu is dead, and that's that. If the one who acted was a Dao Palace Realm expert or even a Half-Saint, we would not let them live.

"But a being on par with a holy man—why should our Yuhua Holy Land be the one to take the lead?

"From what I understand, no fewer than a hundred thousand cultivators have fallen to this person, including many prodigies from various holy families and sects.

"So, I suggest we wait and see how other forces react!"

One by one, the Peak Masters expressed their opinions. Except for Nan Kuang, none of them wanted to provoke a conflict with the Divine Martial Dynasty at this time.

The reason was simple.

The Divine Martial Dynasty's strength was overwhelming, so much so that no one dared to confront them head-on.

A Sage and a Half-Sage may differ by just one word, but the gap between them was vast.

If it were a Half-Sage, the Yuhua Holy Land would not let the matter rest so easily. But if it were a Sage, the situation would be vastly different.

Once everyone had spoken, the Yuhua Holy Master calmly said, "Since all the peak masters believe that the Holy Land should not intervene for now, we will wait and see how things develop. We are now in the late stages of the End Law Era. The last great conflict ended 8,500 years ago, and in another 1,500 years, the Great Era will return. During this critical time, it would be a significant trouble for the Holy Land to openly conflict with a Sage."

With these words, the Yuhua Holy Land's stance was clearly defined.

Nan Kuang frowned. "What if the Divine Martial Dynasty doesn't back down? What should we do then?"

"Then we fight!"

The Yuhua Holy Master sneered. "The Holy Land may not want to stir up trouble, but we are not afraid of it. If the Divine Martial Dynasty dares to come, we will activate the Great Sage Weapon and crush them directly!"

While the Yuhua Holy Master did not wish to confront a Sage directly, the Yuhua Holy Land was not intimidated. As a top-tier power that had produced a Great Sage 30,000 years ago, the Yuhua Holy Land had a formidable foundation.

Compared to other top-tier powers that had produced Great Sages hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Yuhua Holy Land's advantage was that the Great Sage's legacy from 30,000 years ago was still relatively intact. For other ancient powers, the Great Sage's legacy had mostly been exhausted, leaving only the Great Sage Weapon to maintain their status.

Such powers could not be compared to the Yuhua Holy Land.

However, nothing was absolute. Some ancient powers managed to maintain their former glory, producing Sages or even Great Sages every one or two eras. But such powers were extremely rare in the entire Eastern Domain and even the entire Ancient Wilderness.

Thus, the Yuhua Holy Land had every reason to be proud. In the Yuhua Holy Master's view, the Holy Land did not want to confront a Sage, but it was also not afraid of one.

---

The Return to Origin Empire.

The imperial court was now shrouded in gloom.

The loss of the entire 100,000 Divine Emperor Army in the Nine Provinces, along with the half-sage artifact they carried, was a devastating blow to the Return to Origin Empire. The empire, founded 100,000 years ago by a Half-Sage, had never produced a Sage in its 100,000-year history. Over the years, it had only produced three Half-Sages, who had left behind three half-sage artifacts as the empire's foundation.

The loss of one of these artifacts was a severe blow to the empire. More importantly, reports from the Nine Provinces indicated that a Sage had emerged in the Divine Martial Dynasty. This was a serious matter.

Thinking of this, Emperor Han broke out in a cold sweat.

At that moment, a minister respectfully said, "Your Majesty, with a Sage emerging in the Divine Martial Dynasty, it would be unwise for us to openly conflict with them. In my opinion, we should seek peace!"

"Why should the Return to Origin Empire, which has stood for 100,000 years, seek peace with a small dynasty? Even if the Divine Martial Dynasty has a Sage, what does it matter? The battle in the Nine Provinces claimed the lives of tens of thousands of cultivators, including many young geniuses from holy lands and noble families. Whether the Sage of the Divine Martial Dynasty can survive is questionable. Why should we fear them?"

A general shouted, clearly against the idea of seeking peace.

Immediately, other ministers began to voice their opinions.

"In my opinion, we should prioritize seeking peace!"

"I believe that whether we seek peace or go to war, it will be disadvantageous for the Return to Origin Empire. We should wait and see how the situation develops."

"Indeed, the Sage of the Divine Martial Dynasty has offended many powerful factions. Why should the Return to Origin Empire be the one to take the lead? It would be more useful to sit back and observe."

The ministers debated, each presenting their views.

After a moment, Emperor Han raised his hand, and the noisy hall fell silent.

"For now, we will observe the Divine Martial Dynasty and see how other factions react before making any decisions."

Emperor Han knew that, with the Return to Origin Empire's current strength, confronting the Divine Martial Dynasty would be like an egg hitting a rock.

Even if the Guanyuan Empire has existed for a hundred thousand years, and the Divine Martial Empire was founded only a few years ago, the situation remains the same.

A single Sage.

It is enough to suppress the Guanyuan Empire's hundred thousand years of accumulation.

This is no joke.

The Guanyuan Empire has not produced a single Sage in a hundred thousand years, while the Divine Martial Empire has one Sage, which already gives it an absolute advantage.

Not only the Guanyuan Empire, but many ancient powers today may not be as strong as the Divine Martial Empire.

A living Sage is the ultimate confidence.

If Emperor Han had known that the Divine Martial Empire had a Sage-level powerhouse, he would never have allowed Ji Meng to lead the Divine Imperial Army into the Nine Provinces.

The death of a mere prince is nothing compared to the Guanyuan Empire's hundred-thousand-year-old foundation.

But now.

The situation has reached this point.

Emperor Han is well aware that both sides have already torn off their masks.

At this moment, the Guanyuan Empire is in a difficult position.

In Emperor Han's view, even if the Guanyuan Empire wants to seek peace, the Divine Martial Empire may not agree. As for striking again, the Guanyuan Empire does not have that capability.

Therefore.

Emperor Han decided to take a cold approach and wait to see how things develop.

After all, the Divine Martial Empire has already offended many forces, and whether that Sage can survive is a question.

The longer the Guanyuan Empire drags this out, the more advantageous it will be.

"Additionally—"

"In a thousand or two years, the Great Era will arrive. During this Great Era, our Guanyuan Empire must produce a Sage. If we clash with the Divine Martial Empire now, losing too many strong warriors will ultimately be more harmful than beneficial!"

Emperor Han added at the end.

As he spoke, a Sage's aura suddenly emanated from him. Although this aura was not as powerful as a true Sage's, it still left the ministers in shock.

"Your Majesty, have you already reached the Half-Sage realm!"

One of the ministers was visibly alarmed.

Emperor Han's expression was proud: "In this Great Era, I will surely become a Sage!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers were all greatly excited.

Half-Sage!

They had always believed that Emperor Han was only at the Ninth Level of the Dao Palace realm, but they never expected him to have already reached the Half-Sage realm.

In this case.

Emperor Han is the fourth Half-Sage of the Guanyuan Empire.

With the Great Era only a thousand or two years away, once it arrives, his ascension to Sagehood is almost certain.

The three Half-Sages of the Guanyuan Empire before him either did not live to see the Great Era or had little remaining lifespan when it arrived, and thus did not achieve a breakthrough.

Now.

Emperor Han has already reached the Half-Sage realm, and he is not too old. His future ascension to Sagehood is virtually guaranteed.

"With Your Majesty at the helm, the Guanyuan Empire will surely flourish!"

"Advancing to the status of an Imperial Dynasty is just a matter of time!"

The ministers could not help but be excited.

If the Guanyuan Empire can truly produce a Sage, their status and position will rise accordingly. Having a Sage is a completely different concept from not having one.

To put it bluntly, even if Emperor Han were to fall one day, the Sage's legacy he leaves behind would be enough to sustain the Guanyuan Empire's legacy.

Seeing the reactions of his ministers, Emperor Han smiled. This was the effect he wanted.

Similarly.

This is also why Emperor Han does not want to tear off his mask with the Divine Martial Empire right now.

He is already at the Half-Sage realm, and once the Great Era arrives, he can directly ascend to Sagehood.

Therefore.

At this critical moment, Emperor Han will not engage in a direct confrontation with a Sage.

Although in this era, the Sage of the Divine Martial Empire has no chance of ascending to Sagehood, his combat prowess is heavenly, comparable to that of a Sage. What difference does that make from a true Sage?

Therefore.

Emperor Han is waiting.

Waiting for the opportunity to ascend to Sagehood.

Once he reaches the Sage realm, even if the Sage of the Divine Martial Empire also ascends, Emperor Han will have no fear.

Among Sages, who can say who is superior?

But before that.

Emperor Han must admit that with his current Half-Sage cultivation, he is no match for a Sage-level powerhouse.

While the Guanyuan Empire remains a spectator, other forces are also turning their attention to the Nine Provinces.

The appearance of a Sage-level powerhouse, who has slaughtered numerous cultivators in the Eastern Domain, is enough to draw the attention of many forces.

They want to see how the top forces, whose prodigies were slain by the Divine Martial Empire, will react.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end