Chapter 628

Chapter 628: The Concept of Grand Unification

Li Ruoyu felt greatly assured inwardly.

The Celestial Lord of Creation’s expression alternated between dark and uncertain.

The master of Tianxia, revered as the Nine Cauldrons Great Celestial Lord, possessed cultivation surpassing even that of his former life. As for Ye Xu, his prowess need not even be mentioned.

"Master, this junior has a small wish—might it be possible to let me face off against this man?" the Celestial Lord of Creation asked Li Ruoyu while looking toward Ye Xu.

"Face off?"

Ye Xu smiled.

"Esteemed Senior, you are a Celestial Lord, while I remain merely a Dao Sovereign. How could I possibly contend against you?" Li Ruoyu shook his head.

"Hmph!"

The Celestial Lord of Creation snorted coldly. "You inherited my mantle, thus you count as half my disciple. Naturally, I wouldn’t bully you."

"We shall compete at the same cultivation realm. Let me see how much of my true teachings you’ve grasped."

"If that is so, then I humbly ask for Esteemed Senior’s instruction!"

Li Ruoyu’s eyes brightened. Within the same realm, he felt confident he could battle the Celestial Lord of Creation.

"Not within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

Ye Xu waved his hand grandly. The two were hurled into a separate Time and Space. In an instant, divine powers erupted, and Li Ruoyu found himself instantly suppressed by the Celestial Lord of Creation.

"Esteemed Senior, are you not watching?" Xixi inquired.

"Li Ruoyu is bound to lose."

Ye Xu remarked lightly.

The Celestial Lord of Creation commanded the Creation Jade Butterfly, placing his prowess at the same realm on par with the Nine Young Masters. Though Li Ruoyu’s cultivation techniques synthesized strengths drawn from all schools, his cultivation time was far too short to rival the Celestial Lord.

It bore remembering: which inheritor of the six treasures of the yin realm or the nine scriptures of the yang realm wasn’t a prodigious talent?

Ye Xu swept his hand across the void. Space flowed like a mirror, reflecting both figures.

"Heavenly Emperor… His plight is just too miserable…"

Xixi couldn’t bear to watch.

Within mere breaths, Li Ruoyu had been methodically dismantled into pieces by the Celestial Lord of Creation, utterly incapable of fighting back, his plight grievous.

Yet, the Celestial Lord of Creation did not aim to kill; he ceaselessly tormented Li Ruoyu.

After the time it takes a stick of incense to burn.

The Celestial Lord of Creation withdrew his power, reassembling Li Ruoyu completely. "Junior," he stated with detachment, "You’ve plucked fragments of my Technique’s essence, gathering advantages from countless methods. Yet you’ve failed to grasp the fundamental marrow."

"Perhaps… only ten thousand years more could gift you a hundred clashes against me."

Li Ruoyu wore a defeated expression.

His loss had been utter humiliation.

Since stepping onto the path of cultivation, never once had he suffered a defeat this crushing.

Snap!

Space-time shattered, and the two reappeared in Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. Ye Xu did not sympathize; instead, he looked gloating and said lightly, "Li Ruoyu, do you understand that there are always people beyond you and skies beyond the sky?"

"I have learned my lesson," Li Ruoyu said as he bowed. He composed himself and bowed to the Celestial Lord of Creation again, saying, "Thank you, Senior, for guiding me."

The Celestial Lord of Creation looked surprised and praised, "Recovering your Dao heart so quickly does not disappoint the technique you created."

"From now on, you don’t have to return those things to me," the Celestial Lord of Creation said, laughing.

Li Ruoyu nodded.

"Master, I wish to continue seclusion," he said. He took out all the treasures and said solemnly, "These worldly possessions, I wonder how long they can let me remain in seclusion?"

The Celestial Lord of Creation took a deep breath. Those were all his.

Ye Xu laughed and said, "With twenty-four trillion divine stones, I can let you seclude for thirty thousand years, and set up a special trial ground for you." With a thought, he threw Li Ruoyu into a space-time.

The Celestial Lord of Creation’s eyes gleamed mysteriously. "Master, I finally understood why he was able to cultivate to the Five Tribulations Dao Sovereign realm within two years."

Ye Xu looked perfectly at ease. "The rule of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is payment upon delivery. Since he could pay, I naturally wouldn’t disappoint him," Ye Xu said, laughing. "You have three days left." "How much you comprehended depends on how strong your comprehension is."

The Celestial Lord of Creation nodded. He expressed his thanks, walked out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, sat cross-legged, activated the Great Dao of creation, and merged with the jade steps.

Hmm!

The Creation Jade Butterfly seemed to come alive, fluttering its crystal wings, while strands of divine patterns swirled and danced around. The sound of the Dao was ethereal, putting the Celestial Lord of Creation in a state of epiphany.

Ye Xu was bored. "Now that the yin and yang realms have appeared, the Nine Young Masters and those Great Celestial Lords are probably the most anxious group," he murmured. "They should be coming soon…"

…

Tianxia Imperial Palace.

Imperial Study.

"Subject Di Wuyou seeks an audience with His Majesty," Dao King said respectfully.

"Come in."

Yi Tianxing was reading memorials. Seeing Dao King, he immediately put down his brush, smiled, and said, "Wuyou, what’s the matter?"

"Your subject has a memorial to present."

Dao King respectfully presented a memorial with both hands.

Yi Tianxing took the memorial and slowly unrolled it. He was immediately captivated by its content, his expression gradually darkening.

"Tianxia has not yet unified the seventy-two immortal domains. This policy is currently unsuitable for implementation," Yi Tianxing said solemnly as he closed the memorial.

The memorial contained Dao King’s proposal for reforms.

"The Master is Tianxia’s foundation. Unifying the seventy-two immortal domains is only a matter of time," Dao King stated intently. "Your Majesty should make preparations early."

"This matter involves far too many interests. Its implementation would inevitably encounter tremendous resistance."

Yi Tianxing declared, "It must be presented to the Master."

"Accompany Us to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Yi Tianxing activated his magical power. Together with Dao King, they flew out of the Imperial Study and appeared outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

The sight of the Celestial Lord of Creation meditating cross-legged caused both men to halt their steps.

"Who is this?" Yi Tianxing asked, surprised.

Practicing cultivation right outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion clearly indicated Ye Xu’s permission. Could this be a cultivator Ye Xu had subdued?

The two men entered the pavilion. Ye Xu lay reclined in an armchair, holding an ancient scroll in his hand, his eyes half-closed. It was unclear whether he was reading or asleep.

"Master, this old subject has a matter to report," Yi Tianxing said.

Ye Xu opened his eyes, yawning repeatedly. His gaze fell upon Yi Tianxing. "Old Yi," he said lightly, "you are now an emperor. You cannot ask me about everything."

"This Master is very busy."

"…"

A muscle twitched in Yi Tianxing’s cheek. "Wuyou has drafted a set of reform measures. This is a significant matter. This old subject alone may lack the authority to decide, and so came especially to seek the Master’s advice."

"Reforms?"

Ye Xu’s expression shifted.

"Let me see."

Yi Tianxing presented the memorial.

Ye Xu skimmed through it, murmuring appreciatively. Dao King’s reforms essentially proposed implementing a grand unification strategy—strengthening central authority, establishing unified currency and measurement standards.

The most critical point was the unification of cultivation systems.

Ye Xu’s gaze settled on the third point.

Primordial veins.

According to Dao King’s proposal, all veins within the seventy-two immortal domains must be incorporated under state ownership, exploitable solely by Tianxia.

Then, using divine stones as the basis, develop a monetary system.

"What is the Master’s perspective?" Yi Tianxing inquired.

"If you have an idea, do it," Ye Xu replied with a light smile. "The Hongmeng Dao Realm, since the creation of the heavens, has never experienced unification. Accomplishing this won’t be easy."

"But rest assured, both of you. No matter what, I will support Tianxia."

"If the policies in this memorial succeed, you will surely be remembered in history."

"The way is arduous and long…" Yi Tianxing sighed softly.

"Your Majesty, the first step is always the hardest," Dao King encouraged with a smile. "Once we take that initial step, we can turn the tide."

"In that case, this matter is entrusted to you for full responsibility and supervision." Ye Xu looked at Dao King, smiling. "Proceed without restraint. If you encounter an unresolvable problem, simply remove anyone who causes problems."

"???"

Yi Tianxing was covered in question marks.

"Master, Your Majesty, do not worry. This subordinate once succeeded on the Qing Xuan plane. The experience gained there should be sufficient to accomplish this task," Dao King declared resolutely.

"Do well."

The more Ye Xu looked at Dao King, the more satisfied he became.

If the monetary system could be established, he could treat Tianxia as his own treasury.

How many divine stones would there be across seventy-two immortal domains?