The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 389 The Power of the Tao of Heaven

Li Ye and the Feihong Bodhisattva had not been drinking for long before the demon clan cultivators was done decorating the sacrificial altar. Unlike Taiyuan city, there was not much to decorate at the sacrificial altar in the secret region. Everything in the secret region was aiming for the simple approach.

When the time came to offer sacrifices to the gods, Li Ye stood up and patted the dust off his body. He walked up the stone steps with all the demon clan cultivators and the Land Buddhism monks watching. He climbed up to the ninth level of the sacrificial altar under the fluttering flag.

Yang Tingge had been waiting here for a while, as an elder demon clan cultivator, he was very experienced. Li Ye had a lot to learn from him about offering sacrifices to the gods. Many offerings had been neatly placed on the sacrificial altar behind Yang Tingge.

“Your help is much appreciated,” said Li Ye as he saluted by cupping one hand in the other.

“It’s my pleasure,” replied Yang Tingge as he returned the salute.

According to Yang Tingge’s instructions, Li Ye was to come before the offering table and burn incense first.

The sacrificial altar was lofty and magnificent, the demon clan cultivators all were all in awe as they looked up.

You Daxiao added fervently, “I’ve attended many sacrificial ceremonies, including offering sacrifices to the Tao of Heaven. But this time Li Ye is here, would it be something different?”

The Red Boy shot a gander at him in disgust as if he had seen nothing, he then mocked, “How different do you want it to be? Let the Tao of Heaven struck you with a bolt of thunder?”

You Daxiao had long been used to the Red Boy’s venomous tongue, he then shot back, “If the Tao of Heaven has the time to worry about pawns like us, then you’d be the first one taken—You’re the one who has always been annoying since childhood.”

The Red Boy lifted his chin proudly and snorted. “Only the weak wants to be liked, while the strong ones just demand reverence!”

You Daxiao touched his forehead in pity and added, “The Niu family education is not exactly polished?”

As they were bickering, a change was happening at the sacrificial altar.

After Li Ye had burned the incense, a storm was brewing in the dense foggy sky. The fog that had covered the sun had now parted to the sides.

Because the fog was moving too fast, it looked like the sky curtain had been ripped open in the middle by a pair of giant hands. It also looked like a huge ship had smashed open the fog.

Strong wind had also kicked up in the secret region, the flag was rustling and people could barely stand up straight.

As the fog spread to the sides, an extremely bright red light illuminated in the middle, lighting up the top of the sacrificial altar. The middle of the whole mountain was lit up by the wide band of red light, stretching hundreds of feet.

Li Ye’s clothes and hair were rustling in the wind atop the sacrificial altar. The sound of the wind had overwhelmed all other sounds, Li Ye felt as though he could be blown away at any moment. His figure seemed weird and frightening under the red light.

Yang Tingge, who had been assisting him on the side immediately yelled, “Prince An Your Highness, the battle axe!”

Li Ye understood his instructions, so he waved his sleeves and an old green-copper battle axe flew out.

The battle axe was made from the parts from the rubble. Li Ye had used it to open the dense, foggy gate of the forest. Li Ye had felt it back then that the axe had extraordinary power, and he knew it would be useful. He was right.

As the axe flew out, intense light emanated from it and it had created some kind of connection with the red light. The axe was shaking in midair. With a ringing sound, the axe suddenly exploded and it had been blown into parts again.

The broken parts landed around Li Ye and into the trenches around the sacrificial altar.

Instantly, the ground around the sacrificial altar had lit up and rays of green light appeared as though someone was painting a picture with a metal brush.

Li Ye calmly watched on the side. Yang Tingge was excited for amid the cries of oohs and ahhs from the cultivators, a formation map formed below Li Ye’s feet.

At this moment though, Li Ye felt like his spirit was crushed by a tidal wave. He was suddenly trembling, clearly sensing boundless power rise from the formation below his feet and land from red light in the sky, it was coming at him from all directions.

This powerful energy was like a tidal wave that connected the heaven and earth, and Li Ye was just a single tree on the shore, so how could he withstand its power?

Quickly, Li Ye felt pain all over. He felt dizzy as if everything around him was spinning, he was even struggling to stand up straight. Blood began coming out of his seven apertures.

Yang Tingge quickly screamed, “Prince An Your Highness, offer blood to the Tao of Heaven!”

Upon his instructions, Li Ye straightened his eyes and stabilized his senses. He then took out his Luke Sword and quickly cut his left hand. When the blood poured out, Li Ye summoned his Spiritual Qi to engulf the blood and projected it towards the sacrificial altar.

As his blood sprayed on the altar, it didn’t pour down but was sucked in.

Li Ye also gathered himself as the strong white light shone before his eyes.

When Li Ye’s vision recovered, he found ‘himself’ still at the top of the sacrificial altar. Except it wasn’t the altar atop the mountain, but the grand altar inside the city. Behind ‘him’, were countless subjects bowing. There were so many men that he couldn’t see the end, there were at least ten thousand men.

...

Taiyuan City.

Chu Nanhuai, who had been watching the heavens, his eyes suddenly twitched. He blinked a few times and watched the eastern sky. His eyes then lit up as he could no longer refrain his excitement, his mustache began twitching as he said, “He’s here! Time is ripe! Li Ye has begun the sacrificial ceremony!”

As he said that, he began laughing and turned his eyes towards Li Xian, he then added proudly, “I told you Li Ye would take over the sacrificial altar in the secret region. Not even the Feihong Bodhisattva could stop him, haha!”

Li Xian was dumbfounded as he heard the old Taoist. Seeing how proud Chu Nanhuai was he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was as though Li Ye was Chu Nanhuai’s son and Li Xian was the outsider.

“How could the boy be this good?” Thought Li Xian as he fell silent, puzzled the way he was, he actually wanted to ask, “Since when has my boy been so powerful? Even I do not possess such strength...”

Paying no notice to Li Xian’s shock, Chu Nanhuai turned around and waved his sleeves and roared, “Begin the Tao of Heaven sacrificial ceremony!”

As Chu Nanhuai finished his words, celebratory music sounded.

Compared with the sacrificial ceremony in the secret region, Taiyuan city was much grander in its ceremony. It was an event with over ten thousand people.

Chu Nanhuai came to the sacrificial tower and performed a series of protocols before opening a scroll of oration and began reading.

...

Unlike other people, the Feihong Bodhisattva was still drinking on the rock. As Li Ye was offering sacrifices to the Tao of Heaven, the sight of her drinking on the stone seemed melancholic and lonely.

Anyhow, she was still maintained calm. Though she knew that when the sense of calm had lost the heart’s support, then the appearance could only last so long.

Nangong Diyi sat down hugging his sword and watched the altar. Different to the cultivators, who were excited and enthusiastic, he also had a hint of unconcealable desolation and anger.

When exactly he became dispirited was unknown, but he heaved a long sigh and seemed crestfallen.

“Why are you depressed at such a great moment?” asked You Daxiao as he shot a glance at him, “Do you want to go up there and replace Li Ye?”

Nangong Diyi looked at You Daxiao with squinted eyes. This time though, he did not get into a verbal battle with him. In fact, his look of disdain didn’t last long at all before he retracted his eyes.

Even You Daxiao did not expect Nangong Diyi to react this way. You Daxiao had sensed his despondence, or he would not be one of the six great demon clan sons of God if he hadn’t. You Daxiao was just puzzled at Nangong Diyi.

Nangong Diyi had always been quite a proud man in his eyes. Nangong Diyi wouldn’t never act so dispirited.

But it was impossible for You Daxiao to comfort him gently, instead, he snorted. “You look like you wanna die. Do you need some assistance with it? Should I help you with my blade?”

Nangong Diyi stared at You Daxiao fiercely. Normally he’d already be rolling up his sleeves ready to attack, but this time, he didn’t. He just asked with clenched teeth, “Tell me the truth, is Li Ye also some reincarnated immortal?”

You Daxiao replied with a puzzlement, “Why do you say that?”

Nangong Diyi added fiercely with red eyes, “Otherwise how could he improve so quickly?”

You Daxiao finally got it, the reason why Nangong Diyi was depressed was because he was upset about his own incompetence. He began doubting himself.

It was no wonder because Nangong Diyi was extremely talented, especially in the way of the sword. He even created the Three Buyue swords, before meeting Li Ye he never had met a rival of his level, thus he was full of pride.

This time entering the secret region, he was not much help. Before he had a chance to show himself, he’d already been captured by the Land Buddhism monks. If it weren’t for the fact that Li Ye had taken over the situation, he would have lost his life.

That was a huge blow for Nangong Diyi, for he had never experienced such defeat.

You Daxiao said to Nangong Diyi with mockery, “No wonder you look like you want to die. You jealousy has overwhelmed you.”

Nangong Diyi was suddenly angry as if he were a cat and his tail had been stepped on, “What did you say? How could I, Nangong Diyi, be jealous of anyone else?”

You Daxiao sniffed and said, “Are you saying he’s not?”

“D*mn, I’m mad! Make your move!”

“You think I’m scared of you?”

Both of them showed their weapons, ready to fight.

After You Daxiao stirred up the crestfallen Nangong Diyi, he felt much better.

...

Li Ye’s eyes had fallen on the sacrificial ceremony in Taiyuan city, so he saw Chu Nanhuai’s every move.

As his eyes fell upon the Taiyuan city sacrificial altar and Chu Nanhuai began hosting the ceremony, a pair of gigantic eyes appeared out of the blue sky outside Taiyuan.

Two rays of red light shot out of those eyes and fell upon the sacrificial altar in Taiyuan.

Now Li Ye had clearly sensed that the secret region and Taiyuan had built some kind of connection.

When this connection was complete the discomfort in his body had totally disappeared. Above the magic formation, that power still existed in the red light and had surrounded him. Except that his body was no longer in pain and his spirit was no longer oppressed.

Not only did it disappear, conversely, Li Ye actually felt great like enjoying the spring breeze.

If the pain he experienced earlier could be described as earth shattering, the comfort he was feeling now was comparable to new signs of life under the spring breeze and shower.

This kind of power and comfort was incomparable. He felt energetic and high spirited. He had the urge to sing and perform a sword dance.

But before Li Ye could experience such power, an aged voice came from the origin of the red light above the sky of the secret region. The voice seemed to have come from the ancient chaotic times, as though it had travelled through tens of thousands of years of time, it was powerful and came rolling like thunder.

“The Tao of the world is the amalgamation of Yin and Yang. Since there are both sides, Yin and Yang, there are both life and death; since there are life and death, the world is perpetual.”

“Flowing water does not rot, and rolling stones gather no moss. Yin and Yang creates change, and change creates the world. Everything could die but Yin and Yang would not perish.”

“The so called Great Tao is built on the foundation of Yin and Yang. The power of the Great Tao could create life and also destroy life. Thus life and death are Yin and Yang.”

“Li Ye, are you ready to receive the power of the Tao of Heaven?”