Chapter 0006

Chapter 6: A Harsh Slap in the Face: Heavenly Dao Enlightenment, The Emperor’s Path Clears

No matter how shocked everyone felt, the vision in heaven and earth kept growing. It only got stronger, and Zhou Tong’s rebirth was already a fact.

The sky dimmed as thunder rolled. Black clouds pressed so low that no light could slip through, as if something huge was about to burst out. Bai He the Immortal Maiden whispered, her voice shaking with awe: “This is the Heavenly Dao’s Lightning Tribulation. His enlightenment has alarmed the Heavenly Dao!”

Mo Liu Su trembled and stared hard ahead. Before she could speak, Jiang Yu Yao and Ge Hong Qiu lost control first. They shouted, faces twisted with anger: “Impossible! That is absolutely impossible! What virtue or skill does Zhou Tong have? How could he ever be worthy? He’s nothing but a bootlicker and a waste. In the whole Jade Purity Sect, only our junior brother has the right to alarm the Heavenly Dao!”

Tang Qi said nothing, but he nodded a little. It was clear he agreed. Even the elders shared this view. A person just crippled a moment ago could not possibly alarm the Heavenly Dao. It sounded like a bedtime story.

“Crack!” A bolt of thunder exploded, carrying the power of Heavenly Tribulation, and it slapped every face present.

Everyone went stiff and cold to the fingers and toes. It really was the Heavenly Dao’s Lightning Tribulation.

Blazing lightning surged, light bursting in waves. Snakes of electricity danced and wove together, forming a Dao diagram of Lightning Tribulation in midair. The diagram quivered, then turned into a vast river of stars. Countless stars fell at once, all diving toward Zhou Tong.

Those who knew things began to shake. These were not real stars. They were the image of heaven-and-earth aura squeezed to the limit, a supreme chance. Under countless eyes, Zhou Tong spread his arms and swallowed all those “stars,” pulling them into his body.

In an instant, his aura shot up. From a crippled mortal he became a cultivator again, then climbed all the way to the peak of the Acquired Realm. People drew sharp breaths. Cultivation is as hard as climbing to the sky. Every step forward takes years of steady work, yet Zhou Tong jumped nine small Acquired levels in a blink. It was against the very order of things.

Could a single enlightenment really do this?

In truth, no one understood what this enlightenment meant. Zhou Tong’s heart-realm had reached great perfection. From this moment on, he had the right to aim for the highest peak, the Emperor Realm. This vision was the Heavenly Dao’s acknowledgment of someone who might become an emperor.

Mo Liu Su sneered and drew all eyes: “What is there to fuss about?”

She said with scorn: “Ancient books already recorded this. If a person burns their potential to the limit, their realm can spike for a short time, even trick the Heavenly Dao into sending down a vision. But the price is…” Someone blurted out, voice shaking: “Oil runs dry, ashes to dust!”

Faces turned to Zhou Tong in disbelief. Would this once-proud genius really ruin his future just to show off? Besides this, people could not think of another reason. Seeing many start to believe her, Mo Liu Su’s smirk grew sharper: “To smack my face you chose such an ugly path. Too bad I saw through it. Your act is nothing but a clown’s show.”

Ge Hong Qiu added in a cutting tone to her master: “Master, this trash has probably burned up all his potential. Even if he kneels and begs you, would you still take him?” Mo Liu Su snorted coldly: “We do have a karmic tie, however bad it is. If he repents in time, I may toss him some life-preserving medicine so he can keep dragging out his life.”

Pity filled the looks around Zhou Tong. Even the greatest geniuses can fail near the end and fall into darkness. Since ancient times, tragedies like Zhou Tong’s were as common as cattle.

“Rumble!” Just as the crowd grew sad, an even greater vision descended. Radiance over the land grew brighter. The ground cracked. A spiritual spring gushed up. Lotuses sprang to life and circled Zhou Tong at the center. A hundred birds beat their wings and wheeled around him. Tigers and leopards crawled low, kneeling at his feet, making him look like an immortal king had arrived.

No one had seen a sight like this. People stared blankly. Was this really enlightenment? It felt more like a supreme powerhouse had been reborn and taken Zhou Tong’s body to live again.

At the same time, Zhou Tong’s realm soared once more. He crossed into the Innate Realm, then again rose nine levels to the peak of Innate. Burning potential could no longer explain it. Even if a mortal burned to ash, they could not cross two major realms in one burst. They could not cause a vision this wild.

Someone murmured a verse, and everyone who heard it felt chills: “Birds honor the sky’s king. Beasts bow to the sage. The chart swallows stars and moon. Springs well up from the earth.” It was from the Chart of Becoming Emperor, and it matched Zhou Tong’s vision. The meaning hiding inside was terrifying to think through. Did Zhou Tong have the makings of an emperor?

People wiped sweat from their foreheads and whispered: “What is going on? His aura feels weak, and we’re so far away, yet why do I feel like kneeling to him?” Another said: “You know, I feel that too. My knees won’t listen. This is wrong. Did the Jade Purity Sect just let a True Dragon slip away?” A third chuckled darkly: “If that’s true, this is going to be fun. Look at that woman’s high-and-mighty air. I want to see her regret.” A fourth offered, trying to be practical: “Best plan now is to apologize to Zhou Tong and invite him back. That would solve everything.”

Hearing whispers like this, the elders in the grand hall began to sweat and stared at Mo Liu Su until she felt like sitting on needles. But she soon looked calm again and said coldly: “So he caused a vision. So what? Scum is still scum. I will never let him return. And look at his low realm. He isn’t even equal to a menial disciple. Who would accept this piece of trash?”

Tang Qi finally relaxed and smiled. Mo Liu Su was right. Even if Zhou Tong could still cultivate, so what? He no longer deserved to be Tang Qi’s opponent. The cultivation ladder goes like this: first the Acquired Realm, then the Innate Realm, after that the Soul-Split Realm, the Spirit-Turn Realm, and the Heart-Union Realm. These five are called the five mortal realms. Only after breaking past Heart-Union do you enter the Transcendent level. Before he was crippled, Zhou Tong had reached the peak of Heart-Union. Tang Qi had now also reached Heart-Union, and believed he would soon cross that wall to the Transcendent. When that happened, he and Zhou Tong would live in two different worlds. With one wave, he could crush Zhou Tong to dust.

Then his smile froze.

Several figures with crushing auras dropped from the sky and landed beside Zhou Tong. Gasps rippled through the crowd as people recognized them. They were leading lords from major sects, including rulers on the level of sect masters. Clearly, they had come to recruit Zhou Tong.

An old man stepped forward, kindly face full of warmth as he asked: “Young friend, you are now free. Would you be willing to join my Azure Elixir Gate?” Shock showed on many faces: “Azure Elixir Gate? My heavens!” Azure Elixir Gate had no world-stunning warlord on its seat, but it was a sect of pill alchemists, tied to many great powers, with very high status. If Zhou Tong joined, he would get support in the form of many spirit pills and recover quickly. Azure Elixir Gate saw his potential and wanted to raise their own peerless powerhouse. It would benefit both sides.

A refined man stepped out and cut in: “Boy, don’t listen to that old man’s nonsense. They don’t understand cultivation. If you go with them, you’ll waste your talent.” The crowd reeled as someone cried out: “It’s him! Ying Shao Xuan, sect master of the Grand Clarity Sect!”

Mo Liu Su could not stay calm now. The Grand Clarity Sect, the Jade Purity Sect, and the Upper Clarity Sect were known as the Three Great Sects, all at the top and on par with each other. Ying Shao Xuan’s rank matched the Jade Purity Sect’s sect master. Even Mo Liu Su had to salute him as a junior. That such a person wanted to recruit Zhou Tong was beyond her plans.

Zhou Tong looked at him with a blank face and asked: “You want to take me as your disciple?” Ying Shao Xuan smiled: “No. My master wants to take you as his disciple. If you agree, you will be my junior brother.”

The hall swayed with shock. Ying Shao Xuan’s master was the former sect master of the Grand Clarity Sect, now its Supreme Elder. If Zhou Tong bowed to him, he would be of the same generation as Ying Shao Xuan. From then on, even Mo Liu Su would have to call Zhou Tong “Uncle-Master.” Her face changed several times. She sprang up and bowed toward Ying Shao Xuan through the Heavenly Dao projection, then said stiffly: “Senior, are you truly going to bring this wretch into the Grand Clarity Sect?”

Ying Shao Xuan narrowed his eyes and laughed aloud: “Do you have an opinion? Or did you change your mind and want to take him back?” Mo Liu Su hurried to deny it: “Impossible. I will never take such scum.” Ying Shao Xuan’s smile cooled: “Then close your mouth and just watch.”

Rudely brushed aside, Mo Liu Su’s face tightened, but she held back and said with a frosty laugh: “I am only thinking for the Grand Clarity Sect. You do not know this, but that wretch carries a Demonic Seed. If you do not believe me, you can test him right now. If you bring him back, you bring a devil spawn into your home. You know the result.”