Chapter 181: Breaking the Cycle of Fortune! 

In an age of flourishing prosperity, today the Imperial Road was filled from end to end with robes of azure and purple. 

To the left of the Imperial Capital stood a vast complex of halls and palaces. It was the place where, thousands of years ago, the Human Emperor had invited the Heavenly Emperor to drink together. Legend said that on that day, the Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerable, who had been formed through the reincarnation of the Haotian Great Emperor, came here and drank three cups together with the first Human Emperor and the Demon Emperor of the demon race. 

A pact was made thereby. 

The affairs of the human world would be decided by the human world. The demon race and the human race would be bound by agreement, neither slaughtering one another nor crossing blades, in pursuit of a grand and glorious age. 

Yet afterward, the Human Emperor suddenly perished one night. 

The Dragon Emperor also passed away in almost the same year. 

The myriad demons erupted into civil strife over the Dragon Emperor’s essence. The dragon race, beings closest to the innate state, became utterly disheartened because of this and withdrew from the demon race, splitting into three branches. After the Human Emperor’s demise, the human race likewise fractured. The ancestors of the Divine Martial Dynasty occupied what had once been the core territories of humanity, yet lacked the capacity to embrace all under Heaven, and so declined from their greatest peak. 

Only the Jade Emperor neither perished nor suffered misfortune. 

Only the heavens remained unchanged, revolving without rest. 

What could be seen today was only the brilliant sun overhead and the broad, perfectly straight Imperial Road. Every brick and stone was engraved with cloud patterns, water patterns, and mountain patterns. Joined together, they seemed to gather all the mountains and rivers of the world into this single place. 

And when the ruler gazed down from the highest position, it felt as though those mountains and rivers, the mortal world, and all living beings lay prostrate beneath his feet. 

This alone showed the painstaking efforts of the master craftsmen. 

By now, this place where the ancient sovereigns once invited one another beneath the moon to drink had long since been covered with countless palaces and pavilions. 

Around it were arranged desks and seats in an elegant, ancient style. 

The officials of the various ranks were summoned here, though only those above a certain rank were entitled to their own desk. 

Those below the Fourth Rank instead sat at round tables lower down. 

Naturally, there was no shortage of fine food and wine. 

Whenever great occasions were held in former times, the officials would feast and drink until dawn. Beautiful maidservants in flowing sleeves moved back and forth serving wine, graceful as fluttering butterflies. Beneath the night sky, it was a splendid sight indeed. 

Though the day was still young, guests had already begun to arrive. 

All were dressed in silks and brocades, possessing extraordinary bearing and refined temperament. 

On one side sat the civil and military officials of the Divine Martial(Shenwu) Dynasty. 

On the other side sat the envoys of the various nations. 

And at the highest point was the place where, according to legend, the Human Emperor had once invited the sovereign of the demon race and the Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerable to drink. 

Originally, it had been nothing more than a platform. 

The legendary Human Emperor had simply sat upon the ground there, drinking from a gourd ladle, his expression carefree and unrestrained. 

Now, however, a pavilion had been erected here, embodying the utmost efforts of the finest craftsmen of the mortal world; the pavilion rose nine stories high, with the Human Emperor overlooking the world from above, while the consorts, ladies, and female relatives of the great ministers and noble princes chatted and amused themselves on its lower floors, taking no part in the complicated affairs outside, merely conversing in low voices and speaking of elegant tales of romance and moonlit sentiments. 

Today, Qiong Yu had been brought by the Empress to stroll within this pavilion. 

Today she wore palace attire, her hair elaborately styled, her neck slender and graceful, a golden phoenix hairpin spreading its wings above her hair, a plum blossom ornament adorning the center of her brow, and a butterfly fan held in her hand; though her sleeves were heavy and sumptuous, they were overlaid with a layer of light gauze, her features clear and refined, her gaze gentle and soft, and even among these many noble ladies she could be said to outshine all around her, causing others to glance sideways involuntarily and feel a sense of self-conscious inferiority. 

Listening to the waves of sound coming from outside, there were bronze bells and elegant court music, solemn sounds befitting a king, and it was obvious that today’s grand sacrificial ceremony had begun. 

First came the ceremonial offerings and tributes from the various nations. 

There was the State Preceptor of the Qiulong Kingdom, Master of the Tongdao Hall, Daoist Master Tianyangzi, who likewise possessed the methods of an Immortal among men. 

Clad in a moon-white Daoist robe, wearing a jade hairpin, with a face like carved jade and spirited brows, he presented a hundred volumes of Daoist scriptures, by which those of exceptional talent could cultivate to the realm of Innate One Qi, offering prayers that the Divine Martial Dynasty too would possess countless true cultivators serving the nation; he further presented ten furnaces of wondrous spiritual pills, wishing that the Sage Human Emperor Great Sovereign might extend his lifespan for ten thousand years and endure boundlessly alongside Heaven itself! 

There was also the Empress of the Yueqin Kingdom on the other side, who came bearing countless pieces of exquisite jade from her realm, along with rare treasures and several exotic beasts resembling dragons. 

After the representatives of these many nations came the blessings and congratulations of the civil and military officials, and naturally they did not merely present gold and silver objects, for a few pieces of gold and silver were vulgar—far too vulgar indeed—so how could such things possibly appear on an occasion like this?! 

Naturally, there were gifts of a more profound nature. 

One minister presented a Book of Ten Thousand People, voluntarily written by the common folk under his jurisdiction, to express their gratitude toward the Sage Human Emperor. 

Another presented a scroll depicting mountains and rivers, voluntarily carved by the people themselves, majestic and magnificent. 

Yet another presented a colossal jade sculpture of these myriad miles of rivers and mountains, refined into the form of a treasure; once infused with the aura of the Human Dao, it could activate the formation showing this vast landscape, displaying the majesty of the Human Emperor as though all the countless miles of rivers and mountains were held within his grasp, and this item seemed to please the Human Emperor greatly. 

The Human Emperor rose to his feet and stretched out his hand, loosely gathering it as though he wished to seize all these myriad miles of rivers and mountains within the palm of his hand! 

That man knelt and paid his respects, saying with utmost reverence: “Your Majesty the Human Emperor, whose sagely wisdom and benevolent virtue awe all under Heaven, causing the myriad people to admire and revere you, each fulfilling their proper place, wise and mighty, loving the people as your own children, thereby bringing forth this peace and prosperity throughout the Four Seas…” 

Standing on the seventh floor of the nine-story pavilion, Qiong Yu could vaguely see that within the void, countless streams of fate seemed to be converging. 

The feng shui of this place, its overall layout, and even the very atmosphere of the entire Imperial City had all been arranged to support the Human Emperor’s Fortune. 

Through solemn rites and strict procedures, the fate of the Human Emperor was strengthened, allowing it to advance toward an even higher level. 

While the present Human Emperor sat upon the throne, if he truly mobilized the fate of the Human Dao, even immortals and gods could not contend against him; within the territory of the Human Imperial City, should the Human Emperor, regardless of cost, use his own body as the fulcrum to draw upon the entire accumulated foundation of humanity in a fight to the death, even the Heavenly Court’s Great Emperors would find it difficult to do anything to him, yet from the look of things now, this sovereign of humanity seemed to harbor even greater ambitions. 

Such a tremendous undertaking was, without question, an attempt to gradually absorb the fate of the other nations. 

By doing so, he sought to recreate the bearing of the first Human Emperor of several thousand years ago, the one who brought an end to the age of warring kings. 

With an aura that encompasses the universe and a sword in hand, he could invite the Heavenly Emperor and the Demon Emperor to drink together and discuss the affairs of the Six Realms; although he was no match for the legendary Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Venerable, carried forward by an aura of inevitable victory, the strength he possessed was absolutely beyond comparison with the Human Emperors and Imperial Sovereigns of later generations. 

Holding a cup of wine in her hand, Qiong Yu lowered her eyes toward the chaotic crowd below, her heart likewise filled with uncertainty. 

The Seventh Prince, Li Zhai, had possessed an entire body of Military School baleful aura, yet when he drew his blade against the Human Emperor, it had naturally been shattered by the backlash. 

Now all that remained to him was the courage born of blood and valor. 

Yet the one he faced was the Human Emperor, who was presently seeking, through this grand sacrifice and the changing of the era name, to gradually strengthen imperial authority and the fate of the Human Emperor. 

How, then, was he supposed to act… 

Perhaps because of the Emperor’s approval and obvious delight, all the officials knelt in unison, chanting praises and titles, proclaiming that their Emperor was sagely and enlightened, his grace benefiting all living beings beneath Heaven, none failing to remember the majesty of the Emperor’s name, while beneath the court, the elite forces of the Seventeen Armies of the Nine Provinces came forth to demonstrate their martial prowess, all armored and armed, displaying the awe-inspiring might of the Divine Martial Dynasty, a powerful empire that had stood firm against the many demon races at the same time. 

Even the envoys of the other nations felt admiration mixed with fear rising within their hearts. 

Someone asked curiously: “Was it not said that Divine Martial of the Nine Provinces possessed eighteen armies altogether? Why do we only see seventeen armies today?” 

Someone beside him answered: “Because one of those armies saw the people dying and failed to rescue them, and turmoil also broke out within its ranks, leading to internal rebellion; one army even suffered internal casualty losses amounting to seventy percent of its strength, and so its title as a battle legion was stripped away. That is why there are only seventeen armies now.” 

“Oh, so that is the reason.” 

The people conversed in low voices, yet the atmosphere here was far too solemn, and so even those sounds gradually faded away. 

A general clad in golden armor declared sternly: 

“His Majesty loves his soldiers as though they were his own children; we, the spears and halberds of the Military School, are willing to be driven wherever His Majesty commands!” 

“We would not hesitate even to spill our brains and blood!” 

The elites of the remaining seventeen armies all roared in unison: “We are willing to be driven by His Majesty!!!” 

“We are willing to be driven by His Majesty!!!” 

The cry sounded again and again, filled with chilling killing intent that inspired fear, and as these actions, each resembling part of a sacred rite, continued one after another, the fate of the Human Dao was steadily rising step by step, seeking an even higher realm; Qiong Yu raised her eyes, and could almost already see the Human Dao fate that had taken on tangible form within the void, its shape that of a god of immeasurable size, drawing breath from all living beings and taking the human race itself as its bloodline. 

Driven instead by the desire of a single man! 

Thus the elegant music of bronze bells sounded forth, slow and melodious, carrying the solemn tones of a king, causing a feeling of submission to arise involuntarily within the hearts of those who heard it, yet at that very moment a burst of noisy commotion seemed to ring out, not loud, but exceedingly grating, and beneath the flood of imperial music surrounding the Emperor it sounded especially harsh, after which the disturbance gradually grew louder and steadily drew nearer. 

Slowly, everyone’s attention was drawn toward it. 

“No, you cannot, you cannot…” 

“Your Highness, you cannot enter like this!” 

Boom!!! 

Accompanied by the uproar, the palace gates, which had originally been shut fast, were suddenly smashed open, two Imperial Guards clad in forbidden-army armor being hurled high into the air before crashing heavily to the ground, and the violent noise was so great that even the bells and court music came to an abrupt stop; gaze after gaze turned toward the scene, only to see that outside the palace gates, rank upon rank of Imperial Guards stood holding swords and spears, yet did not dare attack, retreating step by step instead. 

The Crown Prince rose in shock and fury: “What are you doing?!” 

“Why are you not advancing?!” 

The commander of the Imperial Guards was already drenched in cold sweat: “But, Your Highness… this… there is no way we can advance…” 

“What?! What do you mean there is no way to advance?!” 

“What exactly has happened?!” 

A jet-black spear pierced through the swirling dust and smoke, then swept violently across, the wind it carried tearing through the air and scattering the dust away, after which a figure slowly emerged, the sound of armor clashing stern and murderous, as someone strode forward clad in armor, calmly reciting: “Clad in black armor and a dark mantle, answering the army’s call to ride forth and rescue.” 

“Punishing evil and supporting good, protecting the nation and safeguarding the people.” 

“Heroes of the Nine Provinces, Divine Martial Xuan Armor.” 

The voice was calm, yet the expressions of those who knew the events of those years all changed slightly, and in that instant, many were overcome by a sense of unreality—could it be that the souls of those who had died in battle back then had come seeking vengeance? 

The battle robe billowed, the smoke completely dispersed, and the man took a step forward and raised his head. 

Resting upon one shoulder was an enormous stone stele. 

A spear was held in one hand. 

His left hand released its grip, and the ancient stone stele crashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the earth violently and producing a thunderous sound, whereupon everyone instinctively rose to their feet, all understanding at once why the Imperial Guards had not dared to act, for even the discipline ingrained into those guards had only made them retreat rather than advance, and someone cried out in disbelief: “This is… the Divine Martial Heroic Monument of the Military School, the battle stele from those who first pacified the world?!” 

In the earliest age, when the kings of humanity warred against one another, the first Human Emperor rose with sword in hand, appearing in the world as suddenly as a blazing flame, and heroes gathered around that man for the sake of a single dream, until at last, when the realm was pacified, only three of the original three thousand remained alive. 

This stone stele had been erected for those heroes who first drew their swords and rose up—not merely for those three thousand men, but for every predecessor who had fallen in battle for this world—and all members of the Military School were required to pay homage to it; even the Human Emperor had to treat it with reverence, the Crown Prince stared in disbelief, and the cup in Qiong Yu’s hand trembled slightly. 

The Fourth Prince opened his eyes, seeming to have guessed something, opening his mouth as though to speak, yet mixed with his reaction was both an incredulous fear and a sense of admiration. 

The Seventh Prince had broken through the forbidden restrictions and come here, before the eyes of all beneath Heaven. 

This ritual for strengthening the fate of the Human Dao had already been pushed to its utmost limit. 

Yet even the Human Emperor could not prevent the gaze of all beneath Heaven. 

The Seventh Prince planted the spear in his hand against the ground and declared: 

“The current Human Emperor Yao, now called the Human Emperor, while still the Second Prince, plotted against his elder brother and father!” 

“He falsely conveyed the Crown Prince’s command, ordering the Xuan Armor Army not to move and refusing to rescue Jinzhou, then used the resulting accusations to seek the imperial throne!” 

“He colluded with foreign enemies and slaughtered our people!!!” 

“A man without loyalty to his ruler and without filial piety toward his father—can such a man be a ruler?!!!” 

His furious voice was like thunder, resounding throughout the area, ringing like a great bell, and because the formation of the grand sacrifice was meant to broadcast today’s grand spectacle throughout every ward and marketplace of the Imperial Capital, those words echoed through every corner of the city at the same moment, and the capital, which had been celebrating only an instant before, fell into utter silence, leaving only the Seventh Prince’s furious roar. 

And so only silence remained. 

The image of a flourishing age was shattered in an instant. 

The Fourth Prince closed his eyes, and for a moment, there was a sense of dejection about him. 

Meanwhile, Qin Wang’s expression shook violently. 

Qiong Yu raised her eyes and saw that the Human Emperor fate, which had been about to use this ritual to ascend into an even purer state, had finally come to a halt; it was a direct method—the Human Emperor’s own son had publicly denounced his father and revealed the events of that year, and regardless of whether there was evidence… no, the Seventh Prince’s very identity was itself the greatest evidence. 

Even if it produced only a fraction of the intended effect, it was enough to interfere with the Human Emperor’s fate at this moment. 

The Crown Prince rose and shouted angrily: “Old Seventh!!!” 

“Men! The Seventh Prince has been bewitched by a demon and has come to undermine the heart of our human race—seize him and take him away at once!” 

“Yes, sir!” 

The Imperial Guards finally moved; such revelations had already made their scalps go numb, and they hurried forward. 

With the augmentation of fate, even the Imperial Guards could display extraordinary combat power, yet the Seventh Prince spread his arms wide, directly trapping the thrusting spears beneath them, then smashed downward with a fierce swing of his arms, shattering those weapons, after which he retreated half a step, grasped the spear with both hands, planted its tip against the ground, opened his eyes, and slowly said: 

“Men die in close combat upon the battlefield; the wars of conquest never cease.” 

“The soldiers’ bodies are cast among the wild grasses, while the generals achieve nothing in vain.” 

“Thus one knows that weapons are instruments of ill omen, used by sages only when they have no other choice!” 

“As a soldier of the Military School in later ages, I accept the command of the Hundred Battles No Return Stele…” 

The heroes of old had once mixed blood and sworn an oath before this stele thousands of years ago, swearing before the comrades who had fallen over decades of struggle for the same great aspiration that if anyone in the future were to change and become once more one of those cruel tyrants, then every person would possess the righteous authority to rise and punish that individual. 

And now the last military commander who still remembered the command engraved upon this stele leveled his spear and roared: 

“A ruler without the Dao!!” 

“All beneath Heaven may rise and punish him!” 

“I, Li Zhai of the Military School, shall fight the final battle as the vanguard of the Xuan Armor Army!” 

“For all beneath Heaven—” 

“To punish the traitor!!!” 

He suddenly charged forward, the spear in his hands circling about his body as he fiercely fought his way ahead; the Imperial Guards moved, and then the elites of the seventeen armies moved as well, instinctively obeying the silent acquiescence of the ruler as they formed military formations and advanced to kill him, their bodies carrying the baleful aura of the Military School and the fate of the Military School, while he was merely a discarded former leader. 

Yet for some reason, everyone suddenly felt that the lone general standing by himself possessed the original aura of the Military School, tragic and resolute; this was the final battle, and this final battle was the most decisive move of the former leader of the Military School, using himself as the price to drag both the Emperor and himself onto the battlefield, and this battlefield would inevitably have no victor. 

[Today I will shatter your fate.]

[I may be unable to kill you, but I shall let all under Heaven see your true appearance.]

“The Sage uses ritual and order as restraints upon the world, and now I shall proclaim the truth of those past events to all beneath Heaven; I shall make you, in the eyes of the people, one who slaughters his subjects and murders his own kin.” 

“With my life as the price, I shall sever your path to becoming the Sage Human Emperor.” 

This was the only path. 

It was also the path of the Military School’s final battle unto death. 

Li Zhai fought his way forward; members of the Military School should have found it difficult to obstruct their former leader, yet Li Zhai had lost everything, and amid that suddenly surging tragic fervor, the military nobles of the Military School all seemed to instinctively take a step forward, but their identities as members of great aristocratic clans caused them to halt, leaving them only able to watch helplessly as Li Zhai went forth to battle. 

Even for the sake of the lives of their clansmen, they had no choice but to draw their swords and rise, gritting their teeth as they said: 

“The Seventh Prince has been bewitched by the demon race—we shall apprehend him!” 

“Yes!” 

“We request permission to engage!” 

In an instant, all had abandoned him. 

And for raising a spear against his father, countless curses would follow his name after death. 

Former friends came at him with swords drawn; Li Zhai’s spear suddenly swept across and thrust forward, forcing back a general of the Dragon-Soaring Guard, but in the next moment several men seized hold of the shaft, causing his spear to falter, and others immediately rushed forward, whereupon Li Zhai let out an angry roar, his spear vibrating violently as he fought with flesh and blood alone against elite troops empowered by fate. 

As though his heart itself were asking: 

【What is Military Momentum?】 

Like thunder erupting and wind surging, striking first despite moving later, separating and converging, turning and reversing, changing without constancy, overcoming the enemy through speed and swiftness! 

Li Zhai roared in fury, his strength gradually being worn away, for the many military commanders were not fools and knew the consequences of killing Li Zhai on the spot today, so their sole intention was to grievously wound him, yet Li Zhai remained utterly resolute, his heart occupied by a single thought alone, the spear in his hands becoming purer and purer, seemingly unaffected by the stripping away of his fate. 

【What is Military Momentum?!】 

To fight unto death without advancing or retreating, to battle for all beneath Heaven, never yielding and never avoiding the fight! 

Li Zhai was swallowed by countless Imperial Guards—or rather, swallowed by fate itself—while the Emperor sat high above. The true Human Emperor stood even higher, looking down upon him, realizing that his son had exceeded all expectations. Yet, within his eyes, there was only detached pity and indifference, as though he were watching a flood dragon devour a mortal man. Still, suddenly, the violent cry of a spear-tip exploded forth, sending ripples through the Human Emperor’s gaze. 

His pupils contracted slightly as he saw strands of baleful aura beginning to emerge from Li Zhai’s body, though he should no longer have possessed any fate. 

Military School baleful aura. 

Military School baleful aura that required no investiture from the Human Emperor. 

The spear swept across once more, forcing everyone back. 

The leader of the Military School roared, his body covered in dozens of wounds, and suddenly gripped his spear tightly before hurling it with all his strength toward the Emperor, and at last those who could observe fate saw layers upon layers of furious roars erupting from the prince’s body, not in the form of beasts, but as the purest Military School baleful aura—the baleful aura of humanity’s Military School—and behind him the entire Imperial Road was drenched in blood, with only that stone stele remaining. 

Yet in a blur of vision, it seemed as though countless armies and horses stood behind him. 

The fallen soldiers of the Military School. 

Once, at the age of sixteen, the leader of the Military School answered his teacher’s question. 

【What is Military Momentum?】 

The School of Strategy employs orthodox methods to preserve the state and extraordinary methods to wage war, planning before battle, combining configuration and momentum, encompassing yin and yang, and utilizing skill and technique. 

The School of Yin-Yang acts in accordance with the times, examines punishments and virtues, follows celestial movements in attack, relies upon the cycles of the Five Victories, and borrows the aid of spirits and gods. 

The School of Technique trains hands and feet, masters weapons and tools, accumulates mechanisms and devices, and thereby establishes victory in attack and defense. 

But Military Momentum— 

Is only battle! 

Death— Without retreat! 

The spear shot forth with savage force, upright and direct, charging straight toward the Human Emperor’s face! 

With my life, I shall shatter your fate. 

The leader of the Military School. 

There was only death.