Chapter 279: Suppression of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 279: Suppression of Heaven and Earth

December 3rd, 2024

As Gu Qingfeng broke through to the Holy Person Realm, in the Nine Provinces, Gu Yang seemed to have a vague premonition. He witnessed the fortune of the Divine Might Dynasty surging, and the Trigram Lotus becoming increasingly dense.

Seeing this, Gu Yang's expression flickered slightly.

"The dynasty's fortune has suddenly increased so much. Could it be that another cultivator has broken through to a higher level?"

The fortune of a dynasty is often related to its territory and people.

Whenever a cultivator under the dynasty's jurisdiction makes a breakthrough, it can enhance the dynasty's fortune to some extent.

Of course, the extent of this enhancement is not significant.

Even if a powerful cultivator advances from the Divine Transformation Realm to the Dao Palace Realm, the increase might not be as beneficial as a province's people enjoying favorable weather and abundant harvests.

In the end, a dynasty is not built by a single person.

Individual martial prowess has limited impact; only when the people of an entire nation improve can the dynasty's fortune truly advance.

However—

Gu Yang, observing the surging dynasty's fortune, understood that an ordinary cultivator's breakthrough could not possibly bring about such a significant change.

Throughout the entire Divine Might Dynasty, the only person capable of causing such a transformation was one and only.

"It seems like Father has made another breakthrough!"

Gu Yang thought to himself.

Only Gu Qingfeng's breakthrough could bring about such a substantial change.

To be honest, Gu Yang wasn't entirely sure how high his father's cultivation realm had reached.

But regardless, as the dynasty's fortune transformed, it was one step closer to the promotion of the empire.

After that, Gu Yang refocused his attention on the memorials on the desk. Sometimes his brows furrowed, and at other times, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Time passed, and Gu Yang finished reviewing all the memorials, casually tossing them aside.

"The malevolent spirits are still causing trouble, but fortunately, they haven't caused too much chaos. If we have a few more incidents like the one in Divine Crane Province, it will be quite a headache!"

Among these memorials were many reports of malevolent spirits wreaking havoc, as if the spirits that had disappeared after the establishment of the dynasty were gradually reviving.

However, Gu Yang understood that the malevolent spirits had never truly vanished; they had merely been lying dormant in certain places.

After the disaster in Divine Crane Province, Gu Yang ordered a thorough investigation throughout the Nine Provinces to uncover all the malevolent spirits.

Consequently, in recent years, malevolent spirits have frequently appeared.

Fortunately, these resurrected malevolent spirits were not very powerful. Occasionally, a few spirits were more troublesome, but the Ten Thousand Souls Banner could easily suppress them.

With the elimination of a large number of malevolent spirits, the people of the Nine Provinces became more loyal to the court.

As a result, the dynasty's fortune slowly increased.

With the rise of the dynasty's fortune, Gu Yang felt that his cultivation seemed to be on the verge of breaking through, as if the limits of the fifth level of the Divine Transformation Realm were about to be shattered, and he would soon enter the sixth level.

Gu Yang was well aware that this feeling was merely an illusion.

After all, he had only recently broken through to the fifth level of the Divine Transformation Realm, and this realm had just stabilized. To break through to the sixth level was not a simple task.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingfeng returned to the Gu family estate without alerting anyone.

He had traveled to the Demon Realm, then to the Void Holy Land, where he delivered the Phoenix Essence Blood to Gu Xuan. After that, he ventured into the Primordial Chaos Void and weathered a wave of the Sage Heavenly Tribulation.

These events seemed numerous, but overall, Gu Qingfeng did not spend much time on them.

However, compared to when he left the Gu family estate, Gu Qingfeng had undergone a complete transformation upon his return.

If his previous self still had some sharp edges, the current Gu Qingfeng had truly returned to a state of simplicity and purity, as if he had merged with heaven and earth, not leaking a single trace of his aura.

More importantly, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have attained the rumored state of Heaven and Man as One. If he wished, he could harness the power of heaven and earth for his own use.

"No wonder they say that all beneath the Sage are like ants. Indeed, the power of cultivators at this level cannot be compared to so-called Half Sages!"

After breaking through to the Holy Person Realm, Gu Qingfeng gained a more direct understanding of the power of this realm.

The strength of the Holy Person Realm lies in its ability to manipulate the power of heaven and earth.

No matter how powerful an individual is, it is a delusion to think they can truly rival the power of heaven and earth.

Only a select few can achieve such a feat.

Even though cultivators in the Holy Person Realm can only harness a fraction of the power of heaven and earth, it is still a force from heaven and earth, and naturally, it cannot be matched by cultivators below the Holy Person Realm.

Now, with his advancement to the Holy Person Realm, even Gu Qingfeng himself was unsure of the extent of his power.

There was one thing that Gu Qingfeng could ascertain.

He could determine that his current strength was still far from that of the Emperor Corpse in the Life Forbidden Zone of the Demon Realm, and he was also far from the so-called Nine Heavens Buddha.

However, Gu Qingfeng was in no rush.

As long as he had enough time, he believed that he could eventually close these gaps one by one.

"There's still over a thousand years until the Era of Great Struggle, and if nothing unexpected happens, the situation should remain stable for the next thousand years."

"In the next thousand years, let's see how far I can go!"

Gu Qingfeng thought, and instead of continuing his seclusion, he began to guide the disciples of the Gu Family Manor in their cultivation.

During this time, he spent some intimate moments with Xu Yulan and also gave her guidance in her cultivation.

Currently, Xu Yulan was still at the peak of the Great Grandmaster Realm and had not been able to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm.

But with Gu Qingfeng's guidance and some additional resources, it didn't take long for Xu Yulan to break through to the first level of the Divine Transformation Realm.

After her breakthrough, Xu Yulan's appearance didn't show much change.

After all, she wasn't very old to begin with, and she was even younger than Gu Qingfeng. Whether it was the four-thousand-year lifespan of a Great Grandmaster or the five-thousand-year lifespan of the Divine Transformation Realm, it made no difference to her.

"I'm curious about what realm my husband has reached now," Xu Yulan said with a curious expression on her charming face, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly and said, "I guess you can consider me a Sage now."

"A Sage!"

"I've heard that in the Age of Decline, it's difficult for cultivators in the world to attain Sagehood. How did you manage to become a Sage?" Xu Yulan was shocked, as she now had a good understanding of the cultivation world.

Even though Xu Yulan rarely paid attention to external affairs, the Gu Family Manor now had many disciples, and she could learn a lot from them.

"Just because others can't become Sages doesn't mean I can't. But the Ancient Desolate Realm is too deep, and even a Sage is not that remarkable," Gu Qingfeng said without much arrogance. He thought of the Emperor Corpse in the Demon Realm and the feeling he had when he broke through to Sagehood.

The Ancient Desolate Realm had existed for countless years, and who knew how many powerful beings had been born and how many were hiding in the shadows. So, in Gu Qingfeng's eyes, being a Sage wasn't that impressive.

However, his words were enough to startle Xu Yulan.

---

Spring passed and autumn came, and in the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.

During this year, Gu Qingfeng spent most of his time guiding the disciples of the Gu Family Manor in their cultivation, and the rest of the time, he quietly contemplated the Celestial Phoenix Divine Art and the Nine Heavens Heavenly Scripture.

Since breaking through to the Holy Person Realm, the once abstruse and incomprehensible Celestial Phoenix Divine Art had become much easier for him.

Many of the profound mysteries that were difficult to comprehend could now be vaguely understood by Gu Qingfeng with a little more focus.

It must be said that the Celestial Phoenix Divine Art, being the divine art of the Celestial Phoenix Great Sage, was indeed profound and comparable to the Divine Sky Thunder in its depth.

The only regret was that after entering the Sage Chapter of the Nine Heavens Heavenly Scripture, Gu Qingfeng's cultivation progress had stalled, and he had been lingering at the first level of the Holy Person Realm, unable to make much progress.

However, Gu Qingfeng wasn't worried about this.

After all, cultivation in the Holy Person Realm was not something that could be rushed, so it was normal for it to be slower.

During this time, Gu Qingfeng also kept a close eye on the changes in the information panel.

In the meantime, Gu Shengxing and Gu Sheng'an both got married.

Gu Shengxing married the daughter of the Anren Marquis, while Gu Sheng'an married a female chivalrous cultivator from a sect.

The two weddings were held on the same day, and almost all the cultivator forces in the Nine Provinces came to offer their congratulations, including many from the Ancient Desolate Realm.

Normally, the weddings of Gu Shengxing and Gu Sheng'an, as mere princes of the empire, wouldn't have attracted such a huge response.

But with Gu Qingfeng, the number one expert of the Age of Decline, backing the Divine Might Dynasty, even the forces that weren't very familiar with the dynasty would still give them some face.

Thus, the weddings were a grand affair, and Gu Qingfeng and Xu Yulan, who rarely left the Gu Family Manor, personally attended the event.

After witnessing the weddings of his two grandsons, Gu Qingfeng realized how quickly time had passed. The two little boys who used to babble in their infancy were now of the age to start their own families.

If it were his previous life, Gu Qingfeng would have been at the age of retirement by now.

In the cultivation world, being in one's forties is naturally not considered old.

...

"Your descendant, Gu Yang, upon learning that malevolent spirits are rampant in the world, decided to emulate the previous dynasty and establish the Zhenxie Division to suppress them!"

"Your descendant, Gu Yang, has brought about a harmonious and prosperous era with favorable weather and abundant harvests. His reputation among the common folk has deepened even further!"

"Your descendant, Gu Yang, considering that his eldest daughter is already of a certain age, was about to arrange a marriage for her. However, she was unwilling and left the Divine Might Dynasty in anger to venture out on her own!"

"Your descendant, Gu Shengnan, has broken through to the second level of the Essence Refinement Realm!"

"Reward: 80 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Shengxing, has advanced to the latter stage of the Marrow Washing Realm!"

"Reward: 50 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Sheng'an, has advanced to the latter stage of the Marrow Washing Realm!"

"Reward: 50 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xuan, possesses the complete Heavenly Phoenix Divine Body, and his cultivation is as if aided by the divine, making rapid progress and greatly improving his strength!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xuan, forcefully interrupted his own breakthrough, suppressing his realm, and continues to refine his foundation!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, was attacked by a Demon136251!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, was attacked by a Demon96631!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, was attacked by a Demon123963!"

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, with absolute strength, killed a Dao Palace Realm Demon Commander, shocking all sides!"

"Your descendant..."

...

"Your descendant, Gu Yang, has attained enlightenment and broken through to the sixth level of the Divine Transformation Realm!"

"Reward: 700 Enhancement Points!"

"Reward: 100 Divine Blood Pills!"

"Reward: 100 Nourishing Spirit Pills!"

...

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, refined a Demon Core, and has broken through to the ninth level of the Divine Transformation Realm!"

"Reward: 300 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Shengnan, unexpectedly consumed a heavenly treasure, and has advanced to the third level of the Essence Refinement Realm!"

"Reward: 80 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Shengnan, has advanced to the fourth level of the Essence Refinement Realm!"

"Reward: 80 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Shengnan, has advanced to the fifth level of the Essence Refinement Realm!"

"Reward: 80 Enhancement Points!"

...

"Your descendant, Gu Xiu, was besieged by a large number of demons, but in the face of adversity, he broke through the limits of the Divine Transformation Realm and advanced to the first level of the Dao Palace Realm!"

"Reward: 500 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant, Gu Sheng'an, has advanced to the first level of the Essence Refinement Realm!"

"Reward: 80 Enhancement Points!"

"Your descendant..."

"Your descendant, Gu Xuan, no longer suppresses his cultivation and forcefully breaks free from the constraints of the Divine Transformation Realm, advancing to the first level of the Dao Palace Realm!"

"Reward: 500 Enhancement Points!"

...

This year, Gu Qingfeng was sixty-four years old.

It had been four years since he broke through to the Holy Person Realm.

Three years had passed since Gu Shengxing and the others' weddings.

Over the past three years, the overall strength of the Gu family's bloodline had significantly improved. Gu Xuan and Gu Xiu, in particular, had broken through the constraints of the Divine Transformation Realm and reached the Dao Palace Realm in one go.

During these years, although Gu Qingfeng had been cultivating within the Gu family estate and had not taken a single step outside, he was still well-informed about the events happening in the outside world.

When he learned that Gu Shengnan was unhappy with Gu Yang's arranged marriage and secretly left home, Gu Qingfeng had already dispatched secret guards to follow and protect her, just in case she encountered any problems.

Otherwise, with Gu Shengnan's cultivation at the Essence Refinement Realm, if she truly ventured out on her own, things might not have gone so smoothly.

What Gu Qingfeng found most regrettable during these years was that he had made no progress in his cultivation of the Nine Heavens Heavenly Scripture.

In the vastness of the heavens and earth, there seemed to be some kind of suppression, making it difficult for Holy Person Realm cultivators to make any progress.

Gu Qingfeng was well aware that this was not an illusion but a real existence.

The inability to attain sagehood during the Age of Decline, as well as the decision of many Sages and higher-level cultivators to seal themselves to avoid the Age of Decline's great tribulation, had its roots in this very suppression.

The heavenly suppression hindered one's progress, and even those with heavenly-defying talent and genius had no solution.

If one did not seal themselves, the only outcome would be the exhaustion of their lifespan.

If Gu Qingfeng were an ordinary Sage, he would have to find a way to seal himself and enter a state of slumber to avoid the Age of Decline.

However.

Gu Qingfeng was not an ordinary Sage. For him, as long as he had enough Enhancement Points, the so-called heavenly suppression could be completely ignored.

Therefore.

Gu Qingfeng did not need to seal himself.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end