Taiyi Dao Fruit-Chapter 1078 - 307: Chi You’s Flag—When Revealed, Kings Lead Conquests Across the Land
Underneath the Heavenly Altar, officials were gathered, and even some of the third grade were present, but none had detected the presence of the Heavenly Monarch.
Only Jiang Li could see him ascending the steps alongside himself, moving step by step towards the summit of the Heavenly Altar.
"I thought my uncle would make a move today, but I didn't expect he would just come to extend his congratulations."
Jiang Li advanced steadily, neither hastily nor slowly. Even the appearance of the Heavenly Monarch couldn't cause him to waver in the slightest.
"The Divine Capital lies beneath the Emperor's feet. Acting here would be futile and mark one as unwise," the Heavenly Monarch said gently, matching Jiang Li's pace.
Though Jiang Li's Emperor Dao Fruit wasn't as potent as those of past emperors, his personal strength and realm compensated for this deficiency. The battle at the Buddha Country had already established Jiang Li among the top echelons of the world, with potential for further growth.
For the Heavenly Monarch to confront Jiang Li, it must be outside the Divine Capital, and certainly not within the Imperial City.
If the former emperor hadn't been ensnared by the Heavenly Monarch's stratagem, abandoning his Dao Fruit, he wouldn't have been defeated within the Imperial City, even gravely injured.
Jiang Li chuckled softly at these words, "Aren't you afraid of me smashing a cup as a signal and having the axe-wielding soldiers attack you from both sides?"
The axe-wielding soldiers mentioned were naturally not the palace's Imperial Guard, but the third grade present.
This might be the most elite group of axe-wielding soldiers on earth, yet the Heavenly Monarch matched their level.
"Nephew is welcome to try." The Heavenly Monarch also laughed.
He was likely the least afraid of a siege in the world; in this regard, the Heavenly Monarch excelled even beyond the Great Venerable.
Whether one person goes up against the Heavenly Monarch, it's one-on-one; even with ten thousand people, it's still one-on-one. Even with multiple supreme beings, it's still the same.
Moreover, whether the Heavenly Monarch here is real or fake is still debatable.
"The Yellow Emperor's Four Faces surely lives up to the mastery within the 'Form Tomb,' capable of countering numerous foes and encompassing the Six Harmonies and all directions within view, fearing no encirclement," Jiang Li agreed. "Furthermore, uncle hasn't just mastered the 'Form Tomb,' but your 'Qi Tomb' must also be accomplished, right?"
The Heavenly Monarch's smile did not fade, but the warmth of the smile visibly cooled.
This was because Jiang Li's words revealed his familiarity with the Yellow Emperor's Four Faces. While countering many foes was expected, perception was not recorded in the 'Form Tomb.' Jiang Li's displayed familiarity with the Yellow Emperor's Four Faces stirred ripples in the Heavenly Monarch's heart.
"Uncle, you have a flaw in your mental state just now," Jiang Li graciously reminded him.
"Having discovered the flaw, why not take action, nephew?"
The Heavenly Monarch's tone was calm, as if the turbulence in his heart was merely an illusion.
Jiang Li, upon hearing this, replied with a serene voice, "Of course, I am someone who respects my teachers. Although, uncle, you are not my mentor, you are nonetheless my elder, and I cannot kill you lightly."
His voice, though calm, carried a naturally convincing strength. Anyone else listening might actually believe it.
"Nephew, like the Great Venerable, enjoys joking," the Heavenly Monarch affirmed Jiang Li's words, drawing a comparison with a supreme being.
Amid a seemingly placid conversation, a silent verbal duel unfolded, and the two of them had already reached the midpoint of the staircase to the Heavenly Altar.
The nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, even halfway, were quite high for ordinary people, looking down from here, the officials seemed minuscule, and the palaces dwarfed.
The Heavenly Monarch said leisurely, "Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, when my father sacrificed to heaven, he brought me along. From these heavenly steps, I looked down and felt the officials were like ants, and the nobles no more than that. Yet who could have foreseen that, in the end, I nearly became an ant to the Dao Fruit myself?"
"So, upon recognizing the limitations within the Emperor Dao Fruit, did you abandon the Dao Fruit, uncle?" Jiang Li asked.
"Without the Emperor Dao Fruit, I can still become supreme; there's no need to rely on the Dao Fruit for achievements," the Heavenly Monarch said, glancing at Jiang Li, "What a pity, nephew, that you were born at the wrong time and had to accommodate this Dao Fruit. In sixty years, will you, like the former emperor, spare no cost to seek longevity?"
"I shouldn't," Jiang Li laughed, "The Emperor Dao Fruit may bind you, uncle, but it cannot bind me. You need to relinquish it, whereas I do not."
The Heavenly Monarch, in his younger days, remained unmoved by an unparalleled power, asserting that it was not heaven abandoning him, but him abandoning heaven. Now Jiang Li says it's because the Heavenly Monarch needed to relinquish, as he couldn't rid himself of the Emperor Dao Fruit's shackles, whereas Jiang Li did not need to.
In the words, hidden meanings once again assaulted the Heavenly Monarch's spirit, yet now the Heavenly Monarch was unmoved.
"You cannot win against me," the Heavenly Monarch stated calmly and assuredly.
Jiang Li, hearing this, smiled.
"Uncle, your obsession with victory and defeat is quite significant," Jiang Li said.
The Heavenly Monarch cared for nothing except his own progress; nothing was necessary. Therefore, despite failures, he was never disheartened and could even glean what he desired from each situation.
His mental state might not surpass that of the Great Venerable, but his weaknesses in this aspect were even fewer.
This was a formidable enemy.
However, now, the Heavenly Monarch revealed a weakness.
That is himself!
There's nothing that can affect his spirit—only he himself can influence himself.
When Jiang Li spoke of the Heavenly Monarch not being his equal, the Heavenly Monarch remained calm, but it was clear he cared about this.
"Uncle truly holds only himself in his heart," Jiang Li said meaningfully.
"Victory and defeat are about superiority; if I don't strive to be above all, why would I undertake the task of usurping heaven?" the Heavenly Monarch unexpectedly admitted frankly, "If it's not for myself alone, how can I triumph over the Heavenly Heart?"
He directly revealed his own weakness, utterly candid, even dissecting his thoughts as if performing an autopsy.
This weakness wasn't exposed by Jiang Li; it was voluntarily revealed by the Heavenly Monarch.
"Speaking of enemies, you might not be the strongest I have ever encountered, but you are surely the most troublesome. In facing an enemy like you, I must eliminate any illusions," the Heavenly Monarch's voice gradually deepened, "Instead of letting you discover the flaw without my knowledge, it's better I expose it myself."
The previously elusive figure, indistinguishable between reality and illusion, now exuded an unparalleled presence. The Heavenly Monarch's face gradually blurred, merging with the Heavenly Phenomenon, each of his facial features replaced by a phenomenon akin to white mist, leaving only a pair of eyes.
The pupils and whites of those eyes were the same color, nearly transparent white, indifferent and merciless, gazing down upon all things.
Compared to the previously exhibited Faceless Celestial Appearance, the Heavenly Monarch now had an additional pair of eyes, making him appear even more unfathomable than before.
He voluntarily exposed the weakness and, under the pressure from Jiang Li, broke through his own Mental State, surpassing the limitations of being faceless.
Gaining another pair of eyes did not mean the Heavenly Monarch's Realm regressed, rather it advanced further.
The "Yin Talisman Scripture" states: "The blind listen well, and the deaf see clearly. Absolute profit from one source, use the master tenfold; three returns of day and night, use the master a thousandfold. The heart is born from things and dies from things, the mechanism is in the eyes. Heaven shows no grace, yet grace arises. Furious thunder and fierce wind, none are not clumsy."
The five senses are, in fact, diversions of perception from the mind. If the five senses are lost, Heart Power will infinitely grow, the Heavenly Phenomenon created by the Heavenly Monarch is based on this saying.
Heaven does not bestow kindness, silently and wordlessly, yet there is great kindness. Phenomena like furious thunder and fierce wind are essentially Heaven's voice, Heaven's words, which only stir up all things.
The prior facelessness of the Heavenly Monarch was indeed the pinnacle manifestation of the Heavenly Phenomenon, transforming one's human aspect into the Heavenly Phenomenon.
But now, he has broken through the Heavenly Phenomenon again and possesses the symbol of humanity once more.
By leveraging the pressure from Jiang Li to achieve himself, his own might in turn applies pressure on Jiang Li.
The Heavenly Monarch truly did not intend to take action today; he came to break through and also to attack the heart.
In previous verbal exchanges, the Heavenly Monarch was at a slight disadvantage, now with his breakthrough, it was his turn to apply pressure on Jiang Li.
"The Heavenly Monarch is indeed a terrifying enemy." Jiang Li said thus.
"How is the Emperor not my formidable adversary?" the Heavenly Monarch replied.
He no longer addressed him as "Shibo," and the Heavenly Monarch stopped calling him "Shizhi" as well.
From now on, they were absolute enemies, with no need for courteous titles anymore.
As they spoke and walked, the Heavenly Monarch's breakthrough brought them almost to the peak of the Heavenly Altar.
When the two stepped onto the summit of the Heavenly Altar, an invisible grand force came upon them, as the Jiangshan Mountain of the Great Zhou manifested in illusion around the Heavenly Altar.
Standing at the Imperial City Altar, yet overlooking the nation.
The Heavenly Monarch and Jiang Li each stood on one side of the altar, looking towards the Nine Provinces, as the Heavenly Monarch said, "What does the Emperor see?"
"A picturesque landscape." Jiang Li said lightly.
"Indeed, a picturesque landscape, but even this country will crumble and decay at times."
The Heavenly Monarch said lightly, "Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, I also saw a picturesque landscape on this altar, but now I see that all shaped things will eventually decay, only Heaven endures."
In nearly two hundred and fifty years, although mountains wouldn't easily change, it was enough for the rivers and mountains of the Great Zhou to differ from those years ago.
After all, this is a world where great power is attributed to oneself; whilst moving mountains and filling seas is difficult, it's not impossible. For instance, during the great disaster of Liangzhou Province, The Immortal of Colossal Spirit moved dozens of mountains, damaging the earth veins of Liangzhou, which even now occasionally causes disasters.
Though claimed as a picturesque landscape, in reality, hidden dangers are everywhere, and the Nine Provinces are on the verge of a genuine split.
"Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Monarch too has sentiments of bemoaning the passing of seasons."
Jiang Li sneered, saying lightly, "Unfortunately, I cannot empathize with the Heavenly Monarch, I merely see the picturesque landscape."
Some people like to view the scene and feel, others like to express emotions through objects, such as seeing this picturesque landscape and thinking "My landscape is picturesque."
But Jiang Li didn't have such thoughts, he only saw the picturesque landscape.
Because he didn't care about this landscape, although the landscape augmented Jiang Li's power, it wouldn't sway his mind.
The Heavenly Monarch heard this sentence, and a slight ripple appeared in his indifferent eyes.
He knew, he could no longer shake Jiang Li's mind.
This Jiangshan Mountain pertains to Jiang Li's power, and now within the Nine Provinces, Yong Province and Liangzhou Province are both amidst great tribulations, one having endured a flood, and the other a Thousand Miles of Barren Land, with three states being held by the Heavenly Monarch and an extension even infiltrating neighboring territories.
In terms of situation, the Great Zhou indeed is in a perilous state, also putting the holder of the Emperor Dao Fruit in a precarious situation. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Unfortunately, even with this, Jiang Li's mind remains unshaken, thus the pressure exerted by the Heavenly Monarch mounts to no effect.
"What of the Nine Provinces' split? I can reconstruct the nation with soldiers."
Jiang Li turned to look at the Heavenly Monarch, "Whoever dares defy me shall be slain."
Crimson blood appeared on the illusion of the landscape, then a streak of blood light suddenly ripped open the sky above, like a crimson flag fluttering in the sky.
The Chi You's Flag, seen and the king campaigns across the land.
