The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 142 - 136: The Curtain Falls (Parts Combined, 4000-Word - )_2

Chapter 142: Chapter 136: The Curtain Falls (Parts Combined, 4000-Word Chapter)_2

"But..." Zhuge Longsu followed with a ’but’, "we are absolutely not the puppets of ’Vast Righteous Qi’. When one reaches the Divine Origin Realm, involvements with Primordial Spirit cultivation already make it possible to break free from the constraints and influence of ’Vast Righteous Qi’, but we still choose to merge Essence Qi with spirit to advance into the True Pill Realm with ’Vast Righteous Qi’.

Why? Because it was our own choice to embrace ’Vast Righteous Qi’, to take this path, not ’Vast Righteous Qi’ forcing us to cultivate. ’Vast Righteous Qi’ didn’t coerce us into walking this path; it was our unforgotten resolve that kept us steadfast in our journey."

Zhuge Longsu’s gaze turned to Lu Qingzhu, "Qingzhu, I will call you my senior brother one last time. The fact that your True Qi has integrated with Wang Jingyang’s to the extent that it doesn’t hinder your switch to learning Philosophy Martial Arts means that Wang Jingyang’s True Qi has completely become your own. The reason you’ve been hindered by this True Qi and have not been able to step into the True Pill Realm has everything to do with you, yourself.

Because your original intention has completely changed, your spirit rejects your own True Qi—how then can you achieve the Three Elements Combined and ascend to the True Pill Realm?"

For Lu Qingzhu, these words were like a bolt from the blue. All the years of self-pity had been laughable, caused by a change of heart. Under the surge of emotions, Lu Qingzhu felt his True Qi running wild, his recently advanced, yet unstable Realm, showing signs of regressing.

"Enough," a shout containing True Qi awakened Lu Qingzhu, "Zhuge Longsu, stop beating around the bush, I’ll ask you just this—will you hand it over, or not?"

The atmosphere on site had become incredibly tense—every person present was staring intently at Zhuge Longsu, whose response would determine the lives of nearly all those present.

"Dean Zhuge..." The representative from the Northern Zhou Imperial Family, Feng Mingxiao, opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. To be fair, if the object were handed over, Emperor Daqian gaining the Emperor Martial Art and thus becoming stronger was secondary; in order to better cultivate the Emperor Martial Art, Daqian might very well wage war against Northern Zhou to settle the world.

Should he refuse, Feng Mingxiao had a good chance to live—after all, it is not easy to kill someone of the Divinity Realm. However, for Sixth Prince Feng Chaonan and Eighth Prince Feng Qiwu, who came with her, as well as Ninth Prince Feng Jiu, whose power soared suddenly, their chances of survival were not at all assured.

Now, sitting beside Feng Mingxiao, Feng Chaonan and Feng Qiwu were a bit panicked; although their faces still wore a semblance of calm, the cold sweat streaming down their foreheads suggested that their calm was simply a façade.

In the Righteous Qi Square, Feng Jiu quietly tugged at Qing Yu’s sleeve and signed to him, asking what should be done. Qing Yu returned with a nonchalant hand gesture.

The situation at hand, with the Emperor Martial Art hidden within the white crystal still in Feng Jiu’s possession, was entirely beyond the control of Feng Jiu and Qing Yu. Whether today would end in life or death could depend entirely on Zhuge Longsu’s single word. At least, the distance between Qing Yu’s group and Zhuge Longsu was such that he could capture them easily.

This feeling of powerlessness over one’s own fate was once again experienced by Qing Yu. Even though he had spent a thousand days and nights immersed in this sense of powerlessness, Qing Yu could still not come to terms with it. This helplessness, no matter how often encountered, was never pleasant.

The lives of all present suddenly weighed heavily upon Zhuge Longsu, an immense burden. Yet, even under this immense pressure, Zhuge Longsu still managed a smile, "Hahaha..."

The laughter was bright; in such circumstances, it bore no hint of despair or dejection, rather, it conveyed a sense of breaking free from shackles and attaining liberation and relief.

"I was once very confused about my own actions," Zhuge Longsu continued his circuitous speech, "as the youngest disciple of the teacher, yet assuming the position of the dean. At that time, I felt totally lost, unsure of how to steer this world-renowned Academy.

To build enough credibility for my nascent deanship, I agreed to the Philosophy’s triennial Literary Arena contest. This move solidified my credibility, but left me anxious night after night, fearing that I would lose the rightful status of the Confucian tradition under my watch.

To gain the support of high-ranking officials from the Northern Zhou Court, as the Dean, I had to personally pull strings to accept those officials’ offspring with insufficient talent and virtue.

Though these actions secured my position as the Dean and the Mountain River Academy became more prosperous than ever, in the solitude of the night, I often questioned myself, ’Is this what the teacher would have wanted to see?’

Thus, despite being aided by the Haqi River and having long reached the Peak of the True Pill Realm, I still could not overcome that last hurdle and only pretended to be a Fake Divine with the help of the Haqi River."

"But now..." Zhuge Longsu suddenly erupted with an overwhelmingly powerful aura, an aura that enveloped everyone beneath the heavens, putting immense pressure on all.

"This is bad, he’s about to break through," the aura emanating from Zhuge Longsu felt no different to the others than before, overpowering to any below his level. But to the likes of Ming Rui and other Divine beings, they could sense the vast difference—an aura indicative of someone on the verge of breaking through to the Divinity Realm. Without the aid of the Haqi River, Zhuge Longsu still unleashed a might that rivaled the Divinity Realm.

"As long as I don’t forget my original aspirations, and my heart harbors no guilt, what is there to worry about? I, Zhuge Longsu, can honestly say I’ve lived up to my teacher, the Academy, and myself..."

Breaking free from the shackles that had bound him for years, Zhuge Longsu’s Qi Mechanism surged. In the sky, the Haqi River that had formed a Qi Shield, sensing this surge, gathered once more into a river and poured down unceasingly atop Zhuge Longsu’s head.

"Damn it," Ming Rui smashed the ground beneath his feet.

With the assistance of the Haqi River, Zhuge Longsu’s breakthrough could be achieved in an instant, and Ming Rui and his group were too late to stop it. With this newly ascended Divine Communication Realm Zhuge Longsunow in control of the Haqi River, even if Ming Rui and his group wanted to turn hostile, they scarcely dared.

Before, they had been unafraid to confront him, confident they could escape with their lives while their enemy could not. But now, should they come to blows, it was unclear who would fall, but mutual destruction seemed very likely.

Moreover, without the protection of the Haqi River’s Qi Shield, changes within the Academy would soon be detectable from outside. If they delayed even a little, it would certainly be Ming Rui and Luo Feng who would perish.

"Sacrificial Officer Ming, it’s time for you to leave the Mountain River Academy. Will you leave or not?" Zhuge Longsu reined in his abruptly increased presence after the breakthrough and looked indifferently at Ming Rui.

"Dean Zhuge, Philosophy has already broken the rules by involving someone not of its faction in the struggle for a position within the Literary Arena. I am willing to assist you, Dean Zhuge, and capture Ming Rui and Luo Feng," proposed Feng Mingxiao.

It was an excellent opportunity. The situation had suddenly reversed; if they could just stall for time until others outside noticed the commotion and came to help, it would be difficult for Ming Rui and Luo Feng to leave this place today. Moreover, there was a towering pillar of Northern Zhou in secluded cultivation right on the mountain top. With such an advantage, it was no wonder Feng Mingxiao was tempted.

The situation had turned around, and now it was Daqian’s turn to be in a difficult position.

"Ha, woman, don’t think I won’t behead you first," Luo Feng brandished his long halberd, and beneath the black ghost mask, his eyes were as cold and merciless as the forest, causing even Feng Mingxiao, a Divine Communication Realm warrior like himself, to feel a slight tremor in his heart.

Of the two Divine Communication Realm warriors Daqian had sent, Luo Feng was silent but no one dared underestimate his threat. The title of Daqian War God wasn’t spoken; it was fought for. Beneath that title lay countless whitened bones.

"Leave, Ming Rui. This is the teacher’s wish," said Zhuge Longsu, not accepting the offer but speaking words that stunned everyone present.

"Teacher..." murmured Ming Rui.

"The teacher has been watching over this place," pointed Zhuge Longsu toward the sky, "the main controller of the Haqi River is not me, but our teacher. He didn’t show up before because he wanted me to break through my mental barriers and ascend to God. This, I learned only when I received assistance from the Haqi River during my breakthrough."

"Is that so? Did I lose from the very beginning?" Ming Rui said, deflated.

After all his scheming, to find out that from the start, his actions were as clear as day in the eyes of others, was a blow too hard to bear even for someone of Ming Rui’s mental state.

"Teacher..." Beside Ming Rui, Lu Qingzhu was overwhelmed, her expression a complicated mix of laughter and tears. After all, she still held deep affection for Meng Shanhe.

"Disperse," echoed the words that Meng Shanhe had once transmitted through the void on that snowy night, now repeated by Zhuge Longsu. It all seemed like another cycle, with the same sudden beginning as that snowy night, ending with the same abrupt "Disperse" as a period.

"Yes, Teacher!" Ming Rui bowed deeply toward the sky and left with Luo Feng and the others.

This special and final contest for a position in the Literary Arena had come to a close.