The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 340 The Rules of Tao of Heaven

The monks of Land Buddhism did not think that they were despicable. Even though they ambushed and murdered two cultivators of the demon clan, they believed that the monks were stupid, and they were wise.

When Li Ye said that they were alike, the monk of Land Buddhism was so angry that his vision blurred for an instant. He did not mind Li Ye saying that he was despicable, but the impression he had from Li Ye’s remark, was that Li Ye thought he was smarter than them.

Coveting gains ahead without being aware of the dangers behind. It was needless to say who was smarter.

Buddhism emphasized understanding and wisdom as its root teaching. As a monk of Land Buddhism, he could not accept that he was being satirized by Li Ye, and could not refute him. He had been badly hurt, and now he breathed his last and died.

Li Ye foiled the two monks’ scheme and saved the two cultivators of the demon clan, one old and one younger. They were familiar with Li Ye because Li Ye had been working with the demon clan for quite a while. Even though they suffered severe injuries, they still managed to come forward to express their thanks.

The old cultivator was gray-haired with a kind face. Li Ye knew his name was Yang Tingge. In daily life, he was hale and hearty. He was not arrogant, and everyone was in awe of him. Wherever he went, he walked with a sprightly gait. But now, he looked a little lost, and was in unbearable pain.

The young cultivator looked to be the same size as Holy Child. He was called Zuo Che’er, and he was Red Boy’s capable assistant. He had reached the Ground Immortal Realm at a relatively young age, so he was rather conceited.

Now, both Yang Tingge and Zuo Che’er were grateful and looked up to Li Ye. On the one hand, Li Ye saved their lives. On the other hand, they were amazed by his strength.

In Qinzhou city, Li Ye had also killed the monk of Land Buddhism at Ground Immortal Realm, but it had not been as easy. Just now when he launched an attack, he was much fiercer than before, showing overwhelming speed and explosive power.

“Where have you been, and have you seen anyone else?” Li Ye asked them. He had met cultivators from the Immortal Court before, and now he encountered monks from Land Buddhism and cultivators of the demon clan. It seemed very likely that all the experts were present .

Before Yang Tingge could say anything, Zuo Che’er started to say, “When we went in, we came to a deserted hill. We went into the ruins of the same town, and met each other. We killed a monk of Land Buddhism who had a low cultivation, and then we found a strange item made of bronze ...”

Zuo Che’er, who was young and arrogant, was eagerly attentive now.

It made sense. Generally, such young and vigorous talents would not give in to others. When confronting someone stronger, they would become more aggressive. However, they would look up to the other person when they met someone much stronger, especially if there was a wide strength gap between them.

Li Ye was interested in the copper billet. He took it from Zuo Che’er and put it with his. He looked over them carefully and tried to look for clues.

Unexpectedly, when the two copper billets were put together, they emitted a bright halo, and a message appeared in everyone’s minds.

It turned out the copper billets were parts of a battleaxe.

The battleaxe was broken, and its parts were scattered all over the secret area. Only after they collected all the pieces and repaired the battleaxe, were they then able to walk through the dense fog in the central area of the secret region, and enter its heartland.

There was no mention of what was in the heartland, in the message.

As an old demon, Yang Tingge was experienced and well-informed. He touched his white beard and meditated for a moment. He cleared his throat and said slowly, “Tao of Heaven is the origin of all things and the principle of the world. Now, the world is in chaos, and Tao of Heaven has revealed its true features. Spiritual Qi flows out and disperses into the world. Those who can get Tao of Heaven and Spiritual Qi can follow it, and discover the profound meaning of Tao of Heaven and comprehend the law of the world. Meanwhile, they will be revered by people and assisted by subjects. In this case, they can make great achievements. Therefore, all sides will keep on fighting. Currently, warlords arise together and fight for the throne. Those who can deal with Kalpa and conform with destiny will come out in succession and show their abilities... However, only the virtuous ones can occupy Tao of Heaven...”

Seeing Yang Tingge was starting to ramble, Zuo Che’er looked pained, and his five sensory organs became intertwined. In the end, he could not stand it anymore and had to interrupt, “Can you talk about the matter in hand?”

Yang Tingge gave him a ferocious stare. “Young people these days are always so impulsive and impatient. They don’t even have the basic manners of respecting the elder!”

He stopped citing the classics and got to the point. “Beyond doubt, the secret area here is that of Tao of Heaven. The central zone with white mists should be where the Tao of Heaven and Spiritual Qi lie. If not, it’s close. So, we must collect all parts of the battleaxe and gain entry to the white mist zone. Only in this way will we be able to see what will happen.”

Li Ye nodded. He agreed with the analysis.

But it also meant that the only road to exploration would be full of killing and dangers.

Li Ye, the Immortal Court, and Land Buddhism were all rivals. If some scattered cultivators from each side met in the secret area, they would fight with each other, out of the desire to kill their enemies and gain merits, or it could purely be by instinct.

Although Li Ye did not aim to kill, he was not the only one who found the copper billet in the secret area and knew that was the only way to enter the white mist zone. Thus, the struggle for the copper billets was in itself a bloody battle.

Next, it depended on who would be the first.

As expected, there was an extra component of the battleaxe in the ruins. Li Ye found the third piece of copper billet.

However, Li Ye was not happy and looked solemn. Beside him, Yang Tingge and Zuo Che’er also looked serious.

They had searched the entire city, but they did not find any other monks. This showed that the cooper billets would appear only when there were cultivators from one side in the ruins.

In other words, the ruins could identify the camp of cultivators.

If both sides failed to fight to the death, there would not be any copper billets left in the ruins.

Now, the copper billets could not be found, the light shield of the circle outside the ruins did not dissipate, so one could only enter and could not get out of the entire ruins. To get pieces of the battleaxe, one had to kill all the people from other camps in the ruins.

The weirdest thing was that when only the cultivators from one side appeared, the copper billets would not show up.

That was to say, the copper billets needed offerings such as blood and human heads.

This was the secret area of Tao of Heaven. With the spirit of Tao of Heaven, Li Ye and the others did not fear the ruins. However, Yang Tingge and others were bitterly disappointed at this bloody and cruel struggle.

If the rule was consistent, it was conceivable that only the people from one side would finally be able to go out of the secret area. However, all the cultivators from other camps in the secret region would then die.

Besides, the purplish-blue lightning net on the periphery of the secret area kept shrinking toward the center. This also meant there was not much time left for the three parties to fight and struggle for the axe. They had to explore the ruins and kill the opponents inside, before the advent of the purplish-blue lightning net.

Such a bloody secret gave everyone a sense of suffocation!

Zuo Che’er shuddered, narrowed his shoulders, and looked around with fear, as if there were some monsters hidden in the surrounding forests. “Unexpectedly, the secret area of Tao of Heaven is so grim and bloodthirsty! The struggle for nature’s mystery cost so much bloodshed for the cultivators of the Spiritual Master Realm and Immortal Realm!”

Yang Tingge looked solemn, but he was not as panicky, unlike Zuo Che’er. He had gone through so much and regarded life and death, honor and disgrace, as unimportant issues. He said slowly, “The universe is neutral; it regards everyone as insignificant. Who says Tao of Heaven has to be kind? On the contrary, if Tao of Heaven is formidable, one must pay an incalculable cost to compete for it and get it. It’s a give-and-take. Without blood as offerings, how could the holy weapon come into the world?

Zuo Che’er opened his mouth and felt disbelief about this remark. He could not understand it with his experience. He reluctantly swallowed and stuck out his chest because he did not want to show any timidity and be underestimated. He said, “Whatever the Tao of Heaven does, I’m not afraid!”

Yang Tingge glanced at Zuo Che’er, who could not hide his fear from him. However, he did not want to expose him. Zuo Che’er was young and needed to grow up, so he was still immature. When he was young, he was probably like this too.

Thinking about this, Yang Tingge looked at Li Ye, to whom he had nominally “pledged loyalty”. To some extent, this ordinary person, who controlled their fate and destiny, was a “young man” and was much younger than Zuo Che’er.

Yang Tingge wanted to know how Li Ye felt when he faced so “grim” a Tao of Heaven and the cruel struggle for the battleaxe. Would he be afraid? Certainly. He was so young, and he was not strong enough yet, because his cultivation had not reached the Immortal Realm.

How could he not be afraid in the face of such an oppressive battle?

Yang Tingge pretended to be indifferent and casually said, “The secret area is weird, and the way ahead is uncertain. A bloody battle is sure to follow. Perhaps only a few people will eventually get out. Prince An, what do you think of the arrangement of Tao of Heaven?”

After asking this, Yang Tingge stared at Li Ye. He wanted to find out if there would be any changes in the look on his face and eyes; he wanted to capture Li Ye’s inner emotions, and discern Li Ye’s hidden cowardice and fear.

Everyone had cowardice and fear. The difference was the degree one managed to conceal the emotions.

As a weather-beaten and high-ranking older man, he had not much desires in life. One of the most important things was to identify and train the younger generations. It had become Yang Tingge’s instincts and joy.

But now, Yang Tingge was disappointed.

He saw nothing in Li Ye’s face.

Li Ye’s eyes never changed.

No matter how hard he tried to discern, he did not see what he wanted to see.

Li Ye’s eyes were always aboveboard and fearless, unblinking.

He remained erect, and he had a steady temperament.

No, it was getting steadier.

Meeting with such cruel oppression from Tao of Heaven and the upcoming bloody battle, Li Ye became more upright, and his temperament became firmer.

That was his fighting spirit.

Yang Tingge was dazed.

When he saw Li Ye in front of him, he felt the weight of the words “Deep Waters and Towering Mountains.”

Just then, Li Ye spoke. His voice was neither loud nor low. His tone never changed, but it was powerful. He was neither sharp nor exciting, but peaceful and prudent.

He only said several words.

He stared at the white mist zone in the center of the secret area, saying, “This is war.”

Yang Tingge looked at Li Ye in a momentary trance.

In that instant, he seemed to see an emperor!

He was calm and domineering. These two supposedly contradictory temperaments were in harmony and unified in him. Yang Tingge felt the imperial spirit from the sublimation, after the integration.

Yang Tingge’s hands were shaking.

He did not know that Li Ye had comprehended the second realm of Way of Emperor. So, he did not know that Li Ye was fearless, strenuous, and unyielding now. Nothing in the world could scare him.

Without fear, there would be no cowardice.

Some people said that if you were not afraid of death, you would not be scared to live. The sentence was not right. Life was hard, and fate was uncertain. For many people, it was much harder to live than to die. Therefore, one could not be fearless, even if one saw through death.

Li Ye knew he was destined to be the emperor and the heart of heaven and earth. He would set his life for the people, inherit the Sage’s Knowledge, and initiate peace and security for all ages. He minded the world and was concerned about people’s well-being. Therefore, he was fearless!

This was utterly fearlessness.

He firmly believed that he would never die before he fulfilled his ambition.

Not everyone could be so fearless.

Under the pressure of the bloody rules of the secret area of Tao of Heaven, Li Ye, who had comprehended the second realm of Way of Emperor, brought the first realm and the second realm of Way of Emperor together, and understood these thoroughly. So, his momentum was as massive as the mountains and as domineering as the tides.

Li Ye, who was utterly fearless, was brilliant.

To be utterly fearless, one must have great wisdom first.

Thus, he understood the rules of the bloody battle set by Tao of Heaven. And, there was nothing stirring in him.

This was a war.

Wars were always brutal and bloody.

As a veteran general on the battlefield, Li Ye was not afraid of war.

No matter what kind of bloody battle, even if only one person could stand in the end, he would go forward.

He never had “stage fright” before a fight.”

Yang Tingge was absent-minded for a while. After he roused himself, he could not help, but bow and salute and said gladly and wholeheartedly, “Prince An will make great achievements!”