Chapter 313 Ji Wuque
The rain of light gradually dissipated, and the sky filled with glittering fragments like withering stars, slowly falling into the earth.
And the Heavenly Stele also gradually returned to its ordinary state from its crystal-like transparency.
Those who could seize opportunities within it were ultimately only a minority of cultivators, and sighs sounded one after another across the square.
Some beat their chests and stamped their feet, wishing there were more sects as generous as the Immortal Spirit Holy Land in the world; more people whispered to each other, their eyes full of confusion.
How could anyone discard such a fortune as the Heavenly Stele's blessing like worn-out shoes?
What exactly was the Immortal Spirit Holy Land seeking?
Until the moment the last strand of golden light submerged into the crack of the Heavenly Stele, a sudden mutation occurred!
The entire stone monument suddenly emitted a tooth-aching tremor.
The stele surface, originally smooth as a mirror, rippled like water waves, and countless blood-colored patterns erupted from within, spreading frantically on the stone surface as if alive.
"Look quickly at the top of the stele!"
A sharp voice cut through the dead silence.
Within the bloody light, a tall and straight figure was condensing from the void.
His black robe sleeves remained motionless amidst the chaotic energy currents, and his hanging right hand held half of a broken chain emptily.
When that person slightly raised his head, the entire Heavenly Capital City suddenly fell into a strange silence.
...
"Hehehe, I wouldn't be seeing things, would I?"
A thin, tall cultivator rubbed his eyes, staring fixedly at the figure in the sky above the Heavenly Stele Pavilion, his voice trembling.
"I... I seem to see Ji Wuque?"
The companion beside him was originally lowering his head to organize his storage bag, but upon hearing this, he abruptly raised his head, his pupils suddenly contracting.
"Don't tell me... I seem to see him too."
The conversation between the two was like lighting a barrel of gunpowder; the surrounding cultivators raised their heads one after another, and then—
"Damn! It really is Ji Wuque!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Didn't he die long ago?!"
The sound wave exploded with a boom, and the entire area in front of the Heavenly Stele Pavilion instantly boiled.
Some desperately squeezed forward, wanting to see more clearly; some subconsciously stepped back, their faces pale as death; and even more directly summoned their magical treasures, staring vigilantly at that figure, as if they would turn and run the next second.
And those sect cultivators who had once participated in the siege of the Heavenly Capital City were now as if struck by lightning, their expressions changing drastically.
Some lips trembled as they muttered to themselves.
"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."
Others directly shouted sternly.
"An illusion! It must be an illusion! Someone is impersonating him!"
But no matter how they denied it, that figure still hung clearly in the sky above the Heavenly Stele Pavilion, robes fluttering, gaze like an abyss.
—Ji Wuque.
That Great Zhou Taizu, who should have long since fallen, actually appeared alive in front of everyone at this moment!
...
Above the firmament, that figure stood with hands behind his back, robes surging like ink-colored angry waves.
He merely stood there, yet it was as if he suppressed the entire heaven and earth, causing even the howling wind to stagnate.
"Rest assured, everyone—I am not here to seek revenge."
The low voice was not loud, yet it exploded like a great bell beside everyone's ears, shaking their souls slightly.
Ji Wuque slowly raised his eyes, and wherever his gaze landed, the noisy crowd involuntarily quieted down, as if subdued by some invisible pressure.
"I do not take the matters of those years to heart; today they are written off in one stroke."
Just eight short words, yet they were indisputable like a decree from heaven.
His tone was flat, but it revealed a dominance looking down upon all living beings, as if those past blood feuds and those fights to the death were merely passing clouds in his eyes.
"And the destiny of heaven and earth just now was originally a gift I bestowed upon you all."
He laughed and said.
"Are you all satisfied?"
...
"It can't be wrong..."
Someone muttered in a low voice, his voice trembling so much it was almost out of tune, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.
His pupils dilated slightly, reflecting the figure standing in the sky, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
"This domineering yet captivating aura... is Ji Wuque himself!"
—Domineering, yet not overbearing. It was a natural kingly demeanor, as if all things in heaven and earth were meant to submit at his feet.
—Majestic, yet not oppressive. Every one of his glances carried a heart-trembling power, yet it did not make people feel suffocated.
His existence was like an insurmountable high mountain, towering majestically in front of everyone.
That majestic aura made people unable to birth even half a heart of rebellion, yet they could not help but feel admiration because of its magnificence and vastness, just like the instinctive awe mortals feel when looking up at the starry sky.
The breathing of countless cultivators unconsciously lightened.
Many of them should have hated Ji Wuque to the bone—after all, the Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty had suppressed the Xuanying Continent for tens of thousands of years, and how many sects and families were suppressed to the point of lingering on their last breath.
Those sects trampled flat by the Great Zhou iron cavalry, those peerless geniuses suppressed, should have been deep blood feuds.
But at this moment, when they truly faced this legendary Great Zhou Taizu, they strangely could not birth even half a bit of hatred in their hearts.
What replaced it was an indescribable shock and submissiveness.
Some subconsciously clenched their fists, their fingernails digging deep into their palms, trying to use the pain to remind themselves to stay awake.
But the more they did so, the more clearly that figure was branded into their minds, impossible to wave away.
"Damn it..."
A certain sect elder cursed in his heart, but his line of sight uncontrollably followed Ji Wuque's every move.
The ease in his every gesture, the indifference as he looked down upon all beings, all of it was impacting his cognition.
—In this world, is there really someone who can be this domineering, yet also make people... this moved?
Some cultivators who had never seen Ji Wuque with their own eyes before lowered their heads tightly, as if they dared not look more, but their hearts beat faster and faster.
He recalled the descriptions of Ji Wuque by the elders of his sect, and those brilliant battle records mentioned in passing in the ancient texts.
Previously, he thought that was exaggeration, but now seeing it with his own eyes, he was suddenly startled to realize—those records probably did not reach even one-tenth of the reality.
Even more terrifyingly, he discovered that he was actually vaguely anticipating Ji Wuque's next sentence.
As soon as this thought appeared, he was shocked and hurriedly chanted the Heart-Clearing Spell in his heart.
But the more he suppressed it, the more that inexplicable awe grew like wild grass.
—Cannot show it, absolutely cannot!
—But that throb in the bottom of his heart could not deceive himself no matter what.
...
On the other side, Ji Lingxiu stared blankly at that figure, her fingertips unconsciously tightening, her knuckles turning pale and white.
Her mood was extremely complicated, having both the trance of a reunion after a long separation—the Taizu who once taught her cultivation was now standing right before her eyes; and the awe facing this supreme powerhouse who once ruled the world—the majesty in those eyes was even greater than in her memory.
Suddenly, a warmth came from her palm, interrupting her thoughts.
She lowered her head to look and found that her hand had been held by a slender and powerful hand at some unknown time.
That palm was warm and dry, carrying a strength that put one at ease.
Lin Wan had already stood by her side at some unknown time, her expression calm as usual, as if she could not feel the surrounding suffocating pressure.
"Martial Aunt."
She said softly, her voice not loud but exceptionally clear.
Clearly, she was not very familiar with this Martial Aunt, but at this moment, Ji Lingxiu strangely felt a kind of silent support.
Her palm temperature was not scorching, but it seemed to be able to transmit some silent belief, instantly calming her originally chaotic thoughts.
That feeling was like finding a shelter in a violent storm.
She took a deep breath, the cool air pouring into her lungs, making her mind more clear.
When she raised her head to look at the sky again, her eyes had already become firm.
...
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