Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"My father once had the former State Preceptor of Heaven's Secret, Tianyi Zhenren, divine the destiny of this land here. Afterwards, he summoned the feudal lords from all directions to the capital and imprisoned them, believing that this would delay the decline of the dynasty.

Little did he expect that within just ten years of my ascendance to the throne, the dynasty would already be in a precarious state. Could this be the destiny decreed by Heaven?" said the Lord of the Great Chen, his spirits declining.

"What is Heaven's decree? Who can truly define it? Does Your Majesty intend to accept this as fate?" This was a very thin Taoist with prominent cheekbones and a prominent forehead, wearing a long goatee, dressed in a yellow robe of his sect, holding a gemstone-embedded horsetail whisk in his hand—Jinguang Taoist, the current State Preceptor of Great Chen.

"Accept fate? Humph, Heaven's decree is not to be feared. Everyone says to follow Heaven's decree, but I wish to go against it!"

"Haha, since Your Majesty is so determined, I must certainly lend my full support. The flesh and blood of these cultivators are rare elixirs. Using them as ingredients will surely refine a Precious Pill, enabling Your Majesty to break free from the constraints of Dragon Qi and gain a glimpse of the path to immortality," Jinguang Taoist said.

Jinguang Taoist's words seemed to ignite the King's inner ambitions, ambition flickered in his blood-shot eyes.

"But can these cultivators really act according to our plan?" At this moment, the King still could not be sure whether Jinguang Taoist's plan would be successful.

"The people of the world all act for gain. With the lure of fame and profit, even the 'Immortals' spoken of by commoners will fall into our trap!" Jinguang Taoist said with full confidence.

The next day, the great debate arrived as scheduled, and many cultivators, rarely seen on ordinary days, appeared one by one like fish crossing the river. Even many figures who were considered deceased by the Cultivation Realm also showed up at the event.

The crowd was buzzing, and some nimble-minded folks even dared to set up small stalls in the open space of the venue, causing others to follow suit.

An Imperial Palace eunuch appeared in the center of the venue, announcing the start of the debate and displayed the rewards for this time. However, the legendary Heavenly Book was nowhere to be seen.

"His Majesty has said: 'The Heavenly Book is a divine object, not to be easily shown to the common folk. Only the number one person in the Cultivation Realm is qualified to view the Heavenly Book, and His Majesty promises that this person can also choose any item from the Imperial treasury as a reward.'"

This reward could be considered extremely generous. Knowing that the King of the Great Chen, although unable to cultivate himself, was often in contact with cultivators, many extremely rare cultivation resources were stored in the treasury, only accessible to State Preceptors for their use.

This opportunity excited not only the loose cultivators but also the children of famous families, who all showed hopeful expressions. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the eunuch no longer said more, bowed to the audience, and slowly stepped down from the high platform, leaving the vast stage to the cultivators of Great Chen, for they were the main characters of this conference.

The rules of the conference were simple: draw lots to determine opponents, and the losers leave after each round.

In the following days, the competition was fiercely competitive, and a large number of young talents emerged. Among them, Zhuge Yan of Lihuo Sect, Wuwei Zi of Taibai Sword Sect, Wu Rong of Danqing Sect, and He Yinglian of Green Lotus Sect were all strong contenders for first place.

The strength displayed by these individuals did not surprise anyone, as they were already well-known prodigies among the major sects in the Cultivation Realm of Great Chen.

Only a young man named Liu Qingyun surprised everyone, appearing to have a low realm, yet, for some reason, he excelled in magical combat. His Silver Spear could break ten thousand techniques, and as he attacked, starlight surrounded him, allowing him to pass through challenges and stand shoulder to shoulder with a few of Heaven's chosen.

However, today this rising young man encountered his match in Zhuge Yan from the Lihuo Sect.

Zhuge Yan was skilled in various Fire Techniques, especially the Art of Fire Control, which he had perfected to a state of brilliance. With a wave of his hand, fierce flames would appear, and soon the entire venue turned into a sea of fire.

Xu Ming furrowed his brow and said to the elder of the Taibai Sword Sect beside him, "Has the State Preceptor set up some kind of Formation nearby?"

"What's so strange about that? We are all cultivators, and when we make a move, it's inevitable that it will affect the surroundings. They must have prepared a Formation in advance to prevent the battle's aftershocks from affecting the Imperial Palace," said the elder of the Taibai Sword Sect, appearing unconcerned.

Xu Ming was a bit alarmed by the Formation the moment he saw it, which was why he asked. Hearing the elder say this, he naturally didn't pursue the matter and quickly refocused his attention on the match.

At that moment, Liu Qingyun, holding a Long Spear and clad in starlight, looked like a Celestial God descending to earth. His Silver Spear created an impenetrable defense, pushing back the surrounding flames and even leaving him with spare energy to attack Zhuge Yan.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Zhuge Yan, too, hadn't expected this seemingly young man to be so difficult to handle. Liu Qingyun's body, which daily absorbed and refined the starlight from the heavens, was no longer that of a mortal. Ordinary flames could hardly harm him, and with his innate Divine Power, once he got close, typical cultivators couldn't resist at all.

However, Zhuge Yan was no ordinary man. Proficient in Fire Techniques, he wasn't thrown into disarray by Liu Qingyun's attacks and, with a gentle gesture, the legendary Lustrous Purifying Flame appeared.

The Lustrous Purifying Flame, said to burn all things and purify all objects in the world, emerged. Liu Qingyun immediately felt uncomfortable as soon as the fire appeared. The flames, immensely powerful, would continue to burn if they clung to the body. Even though he had formed a Stellar armor, it could not extinguish the flame. His armor was visibly consumed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Just as the flames were about to burn through the armor, Liu Qingyun shouted loudly. Although it was broad daylight, a star suddenly appeared in the sky, shining brightly. Those knowledgeable people all recognized that this star was called the Breaking Army.

"So, he is a person favored by the Heavenly Star, no wonder his combat prowess is so strong despite his low realm," several Sect elders commented, all of them experienced cultivators who recognized this sign of being favored by the Heavenly Star.

"I've heard that everyone favored by this Breaking Army is an unparalleled general. I wonder what the future holds for this child," one elder mused, already considering taking him as a disciple. A person favored by the Heavenly Star often had tremendous Fortune and Destiny, and forming a master-disciple relationship could be extremely beneficial for their future cultivation.

"I see that this child has a method in his attacks, and the way he breathes highlights the flickering starlight, clearly showing that he has cultivated a Technique. Such Techniques seem to be specially made for those favored by the Heavenly Star. I wonder which master was able to deduce such a Technique," someone also recognized the mystery of Liu Qingyun's cultivation technique, praising it highly.

Back on the stage, Liu Qingyun, enhanced by the Stellar Force, suddenly reversed his declining momentum and, in an instant, rushed up to Zhuge Yan, gently thrusting his Long Spear forward.