Chapter 736

Chapter 736: The Third Ruler

The arrival of the Enlightened Immortal Monarch signaled her stance, directly causing many energies that were ready to stir to fade away.

The human race still faced a crisis; whether Qing Liu Sheng was truly invincible remained to be seen.

—The supreme demons found themselves a reason to retreat.

To this, Yun Ye was certainly pleased.

His power still had much room for growth, and the longer he waited, the more advantageous it became for him.

"Mother, thank you for sending the Qing Sky Dao Classics. I need this Dao classic to stabilize the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so please lend it to me for a little while."

Yun Ye addressed Qing Kong, his demeanor unchanged from the past.

"Your Majesty, please use it."

Upon hearing this, Qing Kong knew she had made the right bet; Qing Liu Sheng greatly valued the Qing Clan’s nurturing grace and would not wipe them out like other celestial clans.

In fact, the Celestial Empire had a precedent with the Moon Celestial Clan and had not faced any issues; some members of the Moon Celestial Clan even became the most trusted Divine Officers of the Divine Empress.

By joining the Celestial Empire as Qing Liu Sheng’s mother, as long as she did not seek death, there would be no problem; it ultimately depended on whether Qing Liu Sheng became enlightened or a True Immortal.

"Becoming enlightened or a True Immortal…"

The Tomorrow Dao was annoying in this regard; Qing Liu Sheng held the Original Dao Artifact, and his philosophy was close to that of the Founder, so it was feared he would never become a True Immortal.

Choosing to become enlightened or offer blessings to others would undoubtedly weaken those standing at the pinnacle of cultivation.

Of course, if it involved resolving the span of heaven rules and returning lifespans to their original state, the celestial clans would wholeheartedly support it.

"First, we must use the Dao Artifact to restore order. The influence lost by the Divine Empress needs to be erased."

Yun Ye, the Enlightened Immortal Monarch, Qing Kong, and other practitioners arrived at Red Heaven.

In the presence of numerous Honored Beings, Yun Ye declared to the Nine Continents, "The Divine Empress has passed away, the Tai Xin Bell of Tomorrow has resonated, and the Celestial Empire faces an unprecedented great crisis. From this moment on, the Celestial Empire enters a state of war, and I shall serve as the Third Ruler. With this Dao Artifact as proof, I vow not to betray your trust!"

Without dwelling on the trivial matters, everything could be proved by the sword in his hand. He raised the Ming Rihui Sword, his ice-blue hair fluttering, countless principles radiating outward.

This was a network of rules visible to the naked eye, which Yun Ye deliberately created to reassure ordinary beings.

The principles originally inscribed in the Tai Xin Bell were re-recorded on the Ming Rihui Sword, and the laws of the Dao Artifacts of the continents were once again covered.

"The new ruler, Qing Liu Sheng!"

"This is truly incredible; it feels like a carefully orchestrated story, filled with surprises everywhere…"

"Stop being ridiculous; the wisdom of the Divine Empress is boundless. She arranged everything, sacrificing herself to clear obstacles for the Celestial Empire and pave the way for her successor!"

"Four supreme demons have fallen, and three of the Five Great Celestial Clans have been wiped out; only the Qing Clan, where Qing Liu Sheng resides, remains unscathed. Qing Liu Sheng is unafraid of what others say, hahaha. But this is interesting; he claims to be destined to overcome everything before even becoming enlightened, such bravado!"

"Bravado? With fewer enemies, there are more friends. This is our way of life in the Tomorrow Dao, so I’m not surprised. After all, the Qing Sky Dao Classics are the foundation of Qing Liu Sheng’s enlightenment. Without the Qing Clan producing the Qing Sky Dao Classics, Qing Liu Sheng would face significantly more difficulty in opening the Cave Heaven, and whether he would be victorious would be questionable… You must know that a single power from the Divine Phoenix could kill billions of ordinary beings; there is no room for error!"

"Indeed, compared to the merits of providing Dao classics, while the Qing Clan’s historical deeds have been despicable, they are still tolerable. But remember, it is merely tolerance, not forgiveness!"

"Even if ordinary beings of today are willing to sacrifice their safety for the stability of the Celestial Empire’s future, the Divine Empress would likely not agree. How could ancient people compare to the present ones?"

"The Divine Empress worries too much; a great war is about to begin, yet she still seeks to protect us, sigh!"

"We must prepare for the great ritual! Countless heroes and the Divine Empress died together in the Heavenly Stem Cave Heaven, leading to the fall of the four supreme demons and the extinction of three celestial clans. A grand farewell is required!"

The entire Red Heaven realm fell into a mourning atmosphere. Not to mention the death of the Divine Empress, the sacrifices of countless cultivators in the Heavenly Stem Cave Heaven also concerned all of humanity.

After three thousand years of development, cultivators had spread to thousands of universes, with the Heavenly Stem Cave Heaven serving as the main base, often populated by related individuals.

The people of the Red Heaven realm hoped to move into the Heavenly Stem Cave Heaven to slow down the loss of their lifespans, while cultivators exploring the Multiverse wanted their families to stay in safe areas, protected from enemies. These needs meant that the humans in the Heavenly Stem Cave Heaven were not limited to the Heavenly people but also included a large number of the Red Heaven race.

This cleansing operation, although it was an overt plot, led Shui Wuge to send unrelated parties away beforehand; yet many cultivators remained and sacrificed their lives.

The cultivators of the Tomorrow Dao, unlike those of the ruling Dao, held a respected status throughout the entire Celestial Empire. They fought for the prosperity and stability of the Celestial Empire, even though very few cultivators were born into ordinary families; the meaning of their existence remained unchanged.

Undoubtedly, these sacrificing cultivators were heroes deserving of homage from all humanity. After Yun Ye announced himself as the Third Ruler, he immediately began preparing for the sacrifice ceremony, completely disregarding the True Immortals blocking the Red Heaven realm.

This was a serious matter, so the preparation time was quite long. During this period, the people of the Red Heaven realm also began to adapt to the new order.

Unlike the past, the Ming Rihui Sword no longer had a Dao Domain and could not be detected by any Dao Artifact, but the power of the rules could be activated at any time. Whether this was good or bad was open to interpretation.

However, it was unquestionable that Qing Liu Sheng also possessed the qualifications to stabilize the order of the Red Heaven realm.

At present, only Qing Liu Sheng in the entire Celestial Empire possessed the Heavenly Crown Artifact!

Moreover, because this was Qing Liu Sheng’s personal Dao Artifact, the rules inscribed within it would inevitably be followed by him and should not concern his previous identity as the Dao Child of the heavens.

Just as cultivators of the ruling Dao would never inscribe rules benefiting ordinary beings onto their Dao Artifacts, it was not that they did not know how to maintain stability in the lower tiers, but rather that they unconsciously persecuted ordinary beings, lacking even the right to casually annihilate them. This concept was too absurd for them; they could not limit themselves.

Dao Artifacts recognize actions, not individuals. There is a well-known saying in the Red Heaven realm that is widely circulated among the various realms:

"The Son of Heaven and the common people are guilty of the same crime, but you can always believe in the Divine Empress!"

"After all, the heavenly laws are set by the Divine Empress."

Dao Artifacts are vessels of the heart.

To violate one’s own Dao is no different from killing oneself; the restrictions imposed will far exceed those on normal cultivators.

In the Celestial Empire, to personally set the rules is to embody one’s own Dao. One can violate it, but the cost is the disintegration of the Dao Artifact and the collapse of one’s own spirit.

For this reason, Yun Ye, accompanied by Tiankai, went to see the Monster King with whom he had made an agreement in the past.

In the new era, the Monster King still did not cultivate the human methods; a thousand years had merely allowed him to rebuild the Manifest Realm, stepping onto the path to become a Monarch, yet he had not returned to his peak.

Entering the Dream Sky Palace, which floated in a corner of the Red Heaven realm, Yun Ye and Tiankai passed through the dreamlike palace and arrived at a secluded library.

A silver-haired woman with a detached expression sat there, flipping through a book. Upon seeing Yun Ye and Tiankai arrive, she merely closed the book calmly.

"Please, take a seat, the Emperor of Tomorrow…"

She hinted subtly.