Chapter 545: Chapter 544. "Martial Immortal Emperor" Thunder Overcloud (Part 1)

Chapter 545: Chapter 544. "Martial Immortal Emperor" Thunder Overcloud (Part 1)





As Lei Jun ventured into the Demon World, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths merged into one, and Zhou Pu, who remained in the human realm, also experienced something peculiar.

His prosthetic eye seemed to ignite at this moment.

Through this Martial Immortal Eye, Zhou Pu's vision revealed another person.

It wasn't the original owner of this eye, but another Martial Immortal.

For high-level cultivators in the current Great Thousand World of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, although they rarely appeared in public, they were no longer strangers.

Zhou Pu had also seen the other's portrait.

The Northern Dipper Master before the Han Dynasty Cataclysm, the Mysterious Emperor after the Han Dynasty Cataclysm, Zheng Baiyu.

This Martial Immortal Eye had been related to Zheng Baiyu from the very beginning... Zhou Pu now understood.

This treasure had greatly assisted him and was one of his important aids in his rise over the years, but it also concealed a deep-rooted hidden danger.

And now, it was time for that hidden danger to manifest.

However, Zhou Pu remained calm.

Having been warned by Lei Jun earlier, he was mentally prepared.

He hadn't asked Lei Jun for help to avoid alerting the enemy.

Naturally, he had also made preparations for related matters.

A cracking sound echoed as someone across from Zhou Pu cracked open a walnut.

The person seemed to sense something, paused their task, and looked up at Zhou Pu.

What caught their gaze was the Martial Immortal Eye in Zhou Pu's eye socket, shimmering with an eerie golden glow.

"Ready."

As the woman spoke, the long sword by her side suddenly unsheathed.

The broadsword's tip pointed directly at Zhou Pu's eye socket.

Zhou Pu remained seated, unmoving, allowing the sword tip to touch his eye, and the light shimmering on the Martial Immortal Eye immediately spread, becoming even brighter and dazzling.

But the sword tip, seemingly ordinary, had its sword intent condensed to the extreme, instantly piercing the Martial Immortal Eye without harming Zhou Pu in the slightest.

The wide river and mountain sword was sheathed again in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you, General Xiao, for your assistance," Zhou Pu said, removing the now dull Martial Immortal Eye from his eye socket and watching as the once-treasured artifact split into two in his palm.

Xiao Xueting sheathed her sword and stood up, peeling the cracked walnut as she bid farewell:

"The Han King is too kind. I'm also here to help, guided by others."

Zhou Pu replied, "That's only natural. I'm needed in the court as well."

Compared to the human realm, the gradually merging Ten Earths became more chaotic as they approached unification.

Within the Earth Plane, which had already revealed some semblance of the Ancient Times, Zhao Chanyang, for once, did not use his Primordial Golden Radiance to empower his Jade Radiance for attack. Instead, he used the Triple Flower Summit for protection.

Simultaneously, his Immortal Technique, the Boundless Celebration Cloud, unfolded, showcasing the profound and unfathomable wonders of the Taiyi Dao Body.

In his lifetime, aside from his time in the Celestial Realm during the Demon World, this was the first time he displayed such a fully defensive stance.

Even the Martial Immortal Zheng Baiyu, with his Three Flowers Summit Ancient Emperor Body, couldn't break through his defense at first.

The powerful force extinguished the Boundless Celebration Cloud, causing Zhao Chanyang to transform from the immaterial to the material, dragging him back to the tangible world within reach. But, having exhausted his strength, he couldn't break through Zhao Chanyang's Twin Flower Summit.

However, Zheng Baiyu's initial grab missed, and his primary focus wasn't on Zhao Chanyang at the moment.

His eyes flashed like lightning, piercing through the darkness of the Earth Plane.

His entire body vanished from its original location.

As if no time had passed, he reappeared in another position.

He happened to meet another person who had just appeared in the Earth Plane.

Both parties arrived simultaneously, and without prior agreement, they each threw a punch at each other.

The newcomer was none other than Scholar of Heavenly Auspices Zhang Wantu.

Zheng Baiyu didn't seem surprised by the other's appearance.

Zhang Wantu was also well-prepared.

The current Zheng Baiyu was at the peak of his power, so domineering that even Zhao Chanyang had to defend with all his might, yet he still felt unstable.

Although Zhang Wantu had already reached the Sage Scholar's third level of the Confucian Canon Studies, as she appeared, streaks of white light flashed in the surrounding void, like pages of a book being flipped, or a mirror reflecting ancient times.

The white light also enhanced the majesty of the Martial Immortal Ancient Emperor, and after Zhang Wantu reached the Sage Scholar's third level, she could manifest the majesty of the Martial Immortal Ancient Emperor even more completely than before.

If her opponent weren't an absolute Martial Immortal powerhouse like Zheng Baiyu, Zhang Wantu might have been able to counter and defeat her opponent with just her physical strength and life essence.

After reaching the Sage Scholar's third level, she could simultaneously enhance herself with six layers of divine mystery.

Under the swirling white light, one could see not just one but several Triple Flower Summit powerhouses enhancing Zhang Wantu.

Not only that, as the slower-moving white light spread, a more profound and vast aura of scholarly brilliance filled the four directions, beginning to shake the entire Earth Plane.

"Confucian Sage... Sage Master," Zheng Baiyu said, unsurprised.

As an old rival, Zheng Baiyu naturally paid attention when his opponent gained new insights.

With his cultivation, strength, and keen perception, it wasn't difficult for him to deduce that Zhang Wantu, having reached the Sage Scholar's third level, could manifest not just those with the same cultivation level as her.

Even higher realms were not impossible.

Naturally, the difficulty of doing so was much greater than when Zhang Wantu, at the Sage Scholar's second level, manifested the abilities of a Triple Flower Summit cultivator.

Hence, there were only two exceptions.

First, no one knew Zhang Wantu better than herself.

Historically, she had never been a Sage Master, so that could be set aside for now.

And second, it was none other than the most familiar figure to all Confucian cultivators, the Sage Master! Even if Zhang Wantu could only manifest a portion of his divine mystery, it was enough to make one's heart tremble.

Fortunately, Zheng Baiyu had already recovered from his injuries and was currently at his peak, with all kinds of divine mysteries and Martial Immortal Techniques at his disposal.

As he unleashed the Sage Scholar King's second technique, the Spring and Autumn Brush, the subtleties of subtle speech and profound words were further revealed. With a few words, he could reshape facts and laws, alter the mysteries of his opponent's techniques, and influence the outcome of the battle.

Zhang Wantu immediately felt that her process of manifesting the Sage Master was being interfered with invisibly.

The seemingly minor hindrance affected the entire grand process.

"Historical Revisionism." Zhang Wantu recognized Zheng Baiyu's use of the Spring and Autumn Brush, a technique that had evolved significantly from its previous iterations.

Zheng Baiyu smiled, "I have learned a lot from you. If not for the constraints of the current situation, I would have considered switching to your new school of thought."

Zhang Wantu remained calm, "Ice and charcoal are not forged in the same furnace."

She could have mastered the art of historical revisionism, but she had never delved deeply into that aspect.

What she sought was to write with an unbiased pen.

Zheng Baiyu's approach, while having its intricacies in combat, was not something she could relate to.

As Zheng Baiyu sparred with Zhang Wantu, his tone was relaxed, but his mind remained vigilant, never allowing for any negligence.

In addition to the Second Sage Technique, Spring and Autumn Brush, the Third Sage Technique, Niu Xing Tian Shu, was also employed.

Zhang Wantu had less experience dealing with this technique.

However, after attaining the third level of Confucian Sagehood, she had gained the ability to glimpse the truth and information within the vast river of historical time. Thus, she was no stranger to Zheng Baiyu's move.

This technique, similar to the opponent's Martial Immortal, Central Limitless, both centered on the self as the pivotal hub, but one was literary and the other martial, one illusory and the other real.

Niu Xing Tian Shu was a technique akin to divine law, commanding, circulating, attracting, and controlling the minds of others, akin to the convergence of stars.

It was a manifestation of Zheng Baiyu's transition from the Confucian school to the Imperial Dao, and it was also one of the foundations for his later control of the Dark Abyss.

It was this technique that had caused the death of Ren Caomu.

Similarly, the ritual ceremony Zheng Baiyu was currently performing in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the human realm was also based on this technique.

As Zheng Baiyu engaged with Zhang Wantu, he employed Niu Xing Tian Shu to influence the shadows of the Supreme Sage and the five other shadows supporting Zhang Wantu, creating interference and suppression.

However, Zhang Wantu was not intimidated by this.

Among the five Triple Immortal Realm powerhouses, she also had the backing of the Cauldron Dao Sect from the Taoist school and the Curse-Blessing technique from the Shaman school, both of which were stronger than divine law.

When facing an opponent one-on-one, she could replicate most of their power.

While she might not be able to match a top-tier expert like Zheng Baiyu, she only needed to withstand the interference caused by Niu Xing Tian Shu.

What truly made Zhang Wantu take Zheng Baiyu seriously was his advantage in another aspect.

Zheng Baiyu was not only a Confucian Sage King but also a Triple Immortal Realm martial cultivator of the Ancient Emperor.

Martial cultivators possessed an extremely restrained spirit, with their soul and body completely integrated. Moreover, Zheng Baiyu, being a Triple Immortal Realm expert in the body refinement path, was exceptionally sensitive to threats and hostility directed at him. Having reached the Triple Immortal Realm, he had blurred the boundaries of space and time, granting him the ability to foresee combat situations.

In actual combat, his ability to perceive and predict threats from enemies helped him gain the upper hand, surpassing the Confucian "Yi" and the Curse-Blessing technique of the Shaman school. It could be said that he was second to none in this regard.

Zhang Wantu and Meng Shaojie, masters of the historical observation path, had even stronger observational skills than ordinary Confucian cultivators, but they still fell short compared to the Ancient Emperor's ability to gain the upper hand.

The Ancient Emperor's ability to gain the upper hand was more focused on himself, and while it was only apparent when facing enemies, it also made him more unpredictable and difficult to fathom, making it hard for opponents with similar techniques to discern his intentions.

In the past, in the Scholar Forest World, only Yan Aoyun and Wu Hailin had been able to exercise caution and vigilance, but they couldn't know Zheng Baiyu's specific plans until something happened. Zheng Yan, who followed him, couldn't escape Zheng Baiyu's detection either.

With this ability to gain the upper hand, coupled with his extraordinary speed and evasion techniques, Zheng Baiyu's movements became increasingly elusive.

Zhang Wantu also had to remain vigilant at all times.

She channeled the shadow of the Ancient Emperor, bringing her closer to her true level, but she still couldn't surpass the genuine peak martial cultivator, Zheng Baiyu, in this regard.

However, Zheng Baiyu also refrained from being overly aggressive.

The Spring and Autumn Brush was only disrupting Zhang Wantu's support from the Supreme Sage, not completely suppressing it.

If Zheng Baiyu were to be overly aggressive, he might still suffer a severe blow.

At his current level of body refinement, the martial cultivator possessed not only formidable defense but also the ability to regenerate flesh and blood, comparable to the Blood River Shaman King of the same realm. This not only didn't affect his combat power but also granted him near-immortality, akin to being reborn from a drop of blood.

Nevertheless, Zheng Baiyu remained cautious, as his opponent was not just Zhang Wantu.

Earlier, Zhao Chanyang had been at a disadvantage due to his inferior cultivation level, but the current situation was clearly different.

Moreover, there might be more powerful enemies approaching.

Therefore, Zheng Baiyu was primarily engaged in a stalemate with Zhang Wantu, with both sides restraining each other, making it impossible to determine a victor in a short time.

However...

Zheng Baiyu had no intention of settling things with Zhang Wantu here.

His appearance was not only to execute Ren Caomu but also to restrain Zhang Wantu for a while.

He wanted to prevent her from discovering the other changes brewing in the Scholar Forest World during this time and subsequently disrupting them.

As time passed, Zheng Baiyu silently acknowledged, "They're here."

The numerous white light pillars that had been crisscrossing and piercing through the heavens and earth suddenly turned black.

Zheng Baiyu had not informed anyone about the numerous scrolls and charts he had prepared privately, and now they were scattered across the Three Realms.

As the scrolls and charts unfurled, various weapons and armaments were depicted on their surfaces.

A solemn and murderous aura permeated the heavens and earth, enveloping everything in its path.

Both Zhang Wantu and Zhao Chanyang's gazes turned solemn.

The previous rituals and ceremonies, which had led to Zhou Mingzhe's death, Jiang Fengge's rebirth, and Ren Caomu's betrayal, were all smokescreens.

Zheng Baiyu's true plan was unfolding now, without involving anyone else, as he had been secretly orchestrating it all along, only to reveal it at this final moment.

Thus, there was no concern about leaks, and it was also difficult for Zhang Wantu and the others to detect it.

After his failure in the Scholar Forest World, Zheng Baiyu no longer pinned his hopes on quickly attaining the Confucian Sage Master realm.

His true ambition was the Saintly Emperor realm, which surpassed the Martial Immortal Ancient Emperor.

The iron and blood-soaked smoke enveloped the heavens and earth, gradually merging them into one, and it also spread to the four directions of the human realm.

The others, who were calming and comforting the people in the human realm, were caught off guard.

Amidst the black smoke, the human realm seemed to be on the verge of splitting into four or five separate entities.

The countless millions of commoners living there became the fuel for this great transformation.

Taking advantage of the ongoing unification of the heavens and earth, Zheng Baiyu's true intention was to tear apart the human realm once again, creating a new catastrophe.

In the midst of this tumultuous catastrophe, he completed his true trial and obtained the treasures he needed, quickly ascending to the realm of the Martial Dao Saint Emperor in the near future.

Previously, Zheng Baiyu had always sought to unify the human world, establishing a Xian Dynasty above the Tang, Song, and Ming human dynasties, and using this as an opportunity to take another step forward.

However, at this moment, he did the opposite.

As black smoke filled the air, the aura of the Earth Plane's civilized culture flourished.

Zhang Wantong felt the interference targeting her from her opponent dissipate.

This did not bring her joy, as it indicated that Zheng Baiyu was planning to escape from this place.

Under the flourishing aura of civilized culture, the fire of civilization that enveloped the four directions and taught all beings seemed to flicker, and in the firelight, there seemed to be a tall figure of the Confucian Sage standing with Zhang Wantong.

The fire of civilization turned from illusion to reality, illuminating the Earth Plane, causing Zheng Baiyu's figure, who was traversing through time and space, to reappear, with his footsteps slightly halting.

But Zheng Baiyu was prepared, and the radiance on his body faded, as if a Confucian robe had detached from him.

The white light that had been traversing the Three Realms was now completely gathered onto this Confucian robe, which had been cleansed by the four directions.

The Confucian robe acted like a light curtain, temporarily shielding Zheng Baiyu from the fire of civilization that enveloped the four directions, while also blocking Zhang Wantong and Zhao Chanyang.

He took a step forward, breaking through the void once again, and left this area.

Zhang Wantong tore through the light curtain formed by the Confucian robe, but she was half a step too late, allowing Zheng Baiyu to disappear from sight.

She expanded the aura of civilized culture, quickly returning to the human world from the Earth Plane, and first tried to stabilize the human world that was about to split again.

Zheng Baiyu did not turn back to stop her, but continued to escape.

Although the human world was splitting again, Zhang Wantong could take the opportunity to carry out her second plan.

Zhang Wantong asked Zhao Chanyang to help her calm this new human catastrophe, but she remained calm in the face of change.

Because of a slight movement in her mind, she received a notification from Lei Jun, who had rushed back to this world from the Demon Realm.

In the Time Abyss, time was chaotic, and there might be discrepancies in time when traveling through it.

But Lei Jun, through the Sound-Seeking Sensing Taiyi Emperor Body, returned directly to this world, and arrived in the blink of an eye.

Just as he had returned, he was greeted by a grand change in the heavens and earth.

After contacting Zhang Wantong, Yuan Mobe, and others, Lei Jun shook his head slightly.

Zhou Pu was no longer in danger.

Zhou Pu was executed, killed by Mu Yang.

Ren Caomu, who had harbored rebellious thoughts, was personally executed by Zheng Baiyu.

Even without Zheng Baiyu's sudden change of heart, which surprised everyone, Jiang Fengge had previously been restrained by Fengming Phoenix, and then was struck by a sword in mid-air by Bai Ming.

The world was shocked, and Bai Ming was also taken by surprise.

In the merging heavens, she and Hao Yang were doing their best to stabilize the heavenly dome.

Jiang Fengge looked at the smoke-filled heavens and earth, sighed, and did his best to block Fengming Phoenix, and then sought to leave.

After the shift in the Time Abyss, he opened up not far from where he had fought with Fengming Phoenix.

For Jiang Fengge, he was concerned about when Lei Jun, Xu Yuanzhen, and Tang Xiaotang would return.

But at this moment, he had no other choice.

He immediately gathered his spirits and proactively headed towards the Time Abyss.

The Earth Plane was reunited, and Lian Shan no longer existed.

Humans might face chaos, but it was also dangerous, and Zheng Baiyu was equally untrustworthy.

For now, it was better to leave this world and try his luck elsewhere, or perhaps change his name and hide his identity to cultivate...

As this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Fengge suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, as if an extreme crisis was approaching.

But before he could dodge, he felt a tremor throughout his body, and in front of him, Fengming Phoenix, who had already given up the pursuit and was preparing to assist Zhang Wantong in stabilizing the human world, saw from a distance a tall figure appearing abruptly beside Jiang Fengge, without any warning.

Then, a palm struck the top of the Confucian Sage's head.

That tall figure's palm instantly shattered Jiang Fengge's head.

Fengming Phoenix finally saw that the person who had arrived was Lei Jun, wearing a yellow robe and a Primordial Crown.

Lei Jun nodded to Fengming Phoenix, then shook his hand, and his gaze turned to the other side.

The Confucian scholar whose head had been shattered by Lei Jun's palm was now divided into many pieces of paper, automatically scattering, accompanied by a large amount of ink.

After using his own Dan Qing Ju to escape death, Jiang Fengge, who was still in shock, appeared in Lei Jun's line of sight.

But before he could escape again, the sound of thunderous rumbling filled his ears.

Lei Jun's eyes shone with the Heaven-Piercing Earth-Transcending Talisman, and in the place where Jiang Fengge had reappeared, the Thunder Capital immediately appeared, with the Twelve Heavenly Gates of the Taiji opening.

The Ten Heavenly Sceneries, which should have been present in Lei Jun's Dao Scene Mystic Wall, also moved together with the opening of the Twelve Heavenly Gates of the Taiji, forming the Thunder Capital into an even grander Cosmic City.

Upon reaching the third level of the Immortal Realm, the Talisman School's Dao Scene Mystic Wall became even more real and easier to control.

When contracting, the Three Walls merge, capturing and sealing opponents as usual.

When expanding, it interferes with the heavens and earth, vaguely merging with the universe and starry sky, and the various mysteries within the Dao Scene can be presented in the real world.

Thus, without the need to unfold the Profound Yellow Universe, Lei Jun's Cosmic City directly seals Jiang Fengge.

Between the opening and closing of the city gates, everything is encompassed.

All of Jiang Fengge's paintings that made up the Dan Qing Ju were also swept into the city.

No matter how he tried to replace himself with the paintings, this time, they were all sealed within the Cosmic City.

Then, Lei Jun no longer paid attention to Jiang Fengge, and instead formally met with Fengming Phoenix.

Fengming Phoenix glanced at the Cosmic City, where thunderous sounds echoed, and then withdrew his gaze, introducing the current situation to Lei Jun.

"Scholar of Heavenly Auspices has stabilized the human world's upheaval, preventing it from becoming a disaster. But Zheng Beichen may have other plans. He is resolute and determined, not one to easily give up." Fengming Phoenix said solemnly.

Lei Jun: "Saint Fengming can rest assured. Earlier, I had discussed this matter with Scholar Zhang. We had anticipated this change, and now I have some leads regarding his whereabouts."

In the vast world, the Phoenix Wind shone: "Thanks to Grand Master Lei."

He flapped his wings and flew, assisting Zhang Wantu in stabilizing the human realm.

Grandmaster Lei stood in midair, seeing them off.

Zheng Baiyu was indeed cautious this time, as Grandmaster Lei was currently using the Heaven-Piercing Earth-Transcending Talisman and Sound-Seeking Sensing Taiyi Emperor Body, making it difficult to pinpoint his exact whereabouts.

After previously killing Kunpeng Yu, he kept the news secret, not even taking the Nine Springs. His original intention was to use it as bait, but this time, Zheng Baiyu didn't take the bait.

However, Grandmaster Lei had his own unique method:

"Originating from Chang'an, amidst the flames of war, striking at the halfway point, it's already too late."

A light sphere appeared in his mind, and as Grandmaster Lei read, three fortune sticks flew out from the light sphere:

"Upper fortune, immediately head to the human realm's Chang'an City, amidst the turbulent waves, with good management, there's hope for a chance to obtain a first-grade opportunity, auspicious."

"Middle fortune, immediately head to the remote areas of the Earth Plane, with a chance to obtain a third-grade opportunity, but it may lead to hidden dangers, so be cautious, inauspicious."

"Lower fortune, head to the human realm's Chang'an and other places, with no gains, but it may lead to hidden dangers, so be cautious, inauspicious."

As Grandmaster Lei quickly read, his thoughts raced.

The Ten Earths reunited, and the so-called remote areas were also part of the Earth Plane.

After the Ancient Cataclysm, the Earth Plane split into the Ten Earths, and that was the origin of the remote areas.

Similarly, the hidden dangers mentioned in the fortune sticks likely referred to Zheng Baiyu possibly taking this opportunity to further enhance his cultivation.

Referring to it as a hidden danger rather than an immediate danger, it should mean that Zhang Wantu and others are currently suppressing the human realm, protecting the common people while cutting off Zheng Baiyu's path.

But if they let Zheng Baiyu go, he would still gain greatly, and he could make a comeback.

At the very least, he took that step earlier than Grandmaster Lei and the others.

With Zheng Baiyu's talent, regardless of whether he becomes a Confucian Sage or a Martial Immortal Emperor, his strength would likely surpass that of the Hundred Eyes Demon Tree and the Demon Dragon Emperor.

The key to his current actions lay in the human realm's Chang'an.

Why Chang'an?

As the capital of the Han Dynasty before the Ancient Cataclysm, was it Zheng Baiyu's initial foothold and foundation after coming from the Scholar Forest World?

He eventually married into the Chu Clan of Suzhou, rather than the Xiao Clan of Longwai, the Ye Clan of Jinzhou, or the Fang Clan of Jingxiang, which was more in line with his character.

As Grandmaster Lei contemplated, his body disappeared from its original spot.

As for Jiang Fengge, he was still in the Immortal City of Jiazi.

But the thunderous sound gradually subsided.

Just as Grandmaster Lei had previously used this method to kill Qiu Xuan, who was also at the second level of the Immortal Realm, he was now using it to kill another Confucian Sage, Jiang Fengge.

The current strength of the Immortal City of Jiazi was indeed incomparable to the past.

Jiang Fengge also had an Immortal Monument.

At this moment, above the Immortal City of Jiazi, a giant black and white Taiji diagram enveloped the area.

As the black and white intertwined and flowed, Grandmaster Lei's Immortal Technique—Supreme Non-Polar True Solution—manifested its wondrous effect, dissolving Jiang Fengge's Immortal Monument.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end