"I'll be going now."
"Good luck, cousin!"
Accompanied by the clear and solemn voice of the announcer, Fu Hua and Fuli exchanged brief farewells. She walked alone toward the gladiatorial arena in the center.
The boy stood in place, waving vigorously as he watched her leave, though a trace of doubt quietly surfaced in his mind.
Wait, wasn't Cyrene supposed to be the host?
The voice over the PA system just now was cold and professional, completely unlike her lively, bouncing tone.
Since ancient times, there was a saying: "When a child travels a thousand miles, the mother worries." But in Fuli's case, it had bizarrely morphed into: "When the little great-aunt travels a thousand miles, the grand-nephew worries."
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't too weird. In a normal family, a 'great-aunt' would be a highly respected elder, so it was perfectly normal for the younger generation to worry about her.
Not to mention, Fuli's particular little 'great-aunt' was in a very special situation. Therefore, even though Mobius was currently subjecting him to relentless 24/7 sexual harassment, he decisively pulled out his phone and dialed Cyrene's number.
A moment later, he hung up with a look of utter bewilderment. The girl had explained over the phone that the arrangements for this particular match were highly unusual, and it had never been part of her hosting duties to begin with.
"Unusual...?"
Muttering the word to himself, Fuli's gaze refocused on his cousin, who had already stepped onto the stage.
She stood there, her back straight and unwavering, like a lone pine tree standing proud atop a mountain peak.
"Mobius." He suddenly spoke up.
"What is it~?" A lazy response came from behind him.
"Lift those weapons of mass destruction of yours a bit higher. They're blocking my view."
The Snake wrapped around him obediently straightened her upper body, slightly lifting the heavy, blood-pumping "brain pads" that were pressing down on the boy's head and squeezing his vision.
As they spoke, Fu Hua stood on the left side of the arena. Her expression was calm as still water as she nodded to Yanqing, who was acting as the referee.
"I leave it to you."
"You are too kind, Celestial."
The young Sword Champion returned the salute with cupped hands. As he slowly backed away, he activated the softly glowing jade Cong in his hand.
[Pocket-Dimension Generator]: To prevent battles between high-tier Honkai-verse combatants from causing catastrophic collateral damage, the Supernatural Aftermath Committee of the Taixu Frontline had combined cutting-edge technology with ancient barrier arts. By studying the Fragmentum effect, they developed this high-tier spatial-lock device.
Once activated, it carved out an isolated spatial barrier around the user, ranging from a radius of several hundred meters to several hundred kilometers. Not only was this pocket dimension incredibly durable, but it could perfectly replicate the surrounding environment on a 1:1 scale, or load a pre-registered environment.
The moment Yanqing activated the jade Cong, the scenery before everyone's eyes blurred drastically. It was instantly replaced by a misty, ethereal immortal realm.
Towering mountain peaks pierced the clouds, crystal-clear streams flowed through the ravines, and the fresh scent of vegetation filled the air. The entire landscape exuded an aura of ancient, transcendent vicissitudes, having weathered thousands of years of history.
Standing at the peak of the mountain, Fu Hua carefully studied the incredibly familiar environment beneath her feet.
"This is... Mount Taixu?"
The Taixu Frontline was aiming for absolute realism in this tournament. All battlefields were pre-loaded using high-precision scans of real-world locations to achieve perfect 1:1 replication. This was all detailed in the competitor's manual.
But if her senses weren't failing her, the pocket dimension they were currently standing in had a radius of several dozen kilometers—it was almost the size of a provincial capital.
Currently, Fu Hua was only an A-rank Valkyrie, though she could exhibit Critical-tier combat power using her various techniques. Even if her opponent was the legendary Daoist Ancestor, their stats were capped at B-rank. Wasn't using a pocket dimension of this massive scale a bit too extravagant and wasteful?
Before the young girl could delve deeper into the thought, an anomaly occurred, exactly as expected.
The mist spraying from the waterfall at the peak of Mount Taixu began to converge between heaven and earth, splitting into starkly contrasting black and white streams.
Amidst the swirling, intertwining currents, a figure quietly materialized.
Clad in white, with blue hair cascading like a waterfall, her face possessed a cold, unearthly beauty. In her hand rested a simple, unadorned longsword.
All perception-based abilities failed to register her presence. She seemed to have perfectly melded into the fabric of the world itself. Only the most primal sense of physical sight could capture that transcendent figure.
"The Dao follows nature..." Fuli murmured to himself from outside the arena.
As a citizen of Shenzhou, his mental image of Taishang Laojun had long been shaped by the countless white-haired old men depicted in movies and TV shows.
Yet, simply laying eyes upon that solitary woman in white, a stirring deep within his bloodline made him instantly realize exactly who was standing there.
It wasn't just him. The previously boiling crowd of tens of thousands of spectators, as well as the countless viewers watching the broadcast across the Xianzhou ships and beyond, fell utterly silent.
Regardless of where they came from, everyone held their breath. Their eyes were glued to the beautiful silhouette that had seamlessly become one with the universe.
Flawless.
But time would not stop here. Amidst the mesmerized gazes of countless people, Xiao Yun moved.
Her movements were entirely different from the sharp, fierce strikes of an ordinary swordmaster. Her toes lightly tapped the mountain rock, and her figure drifted gracefully like a cloud. The longsword in her hand, named Ruoshui, seemed to swing casually, yet every motion resonated with the profound rhythm of heaven and earth.
With just a few effortless advances and retreats, she forced Fu Hua into the corner of the ravine. Her attacks flowed like running water and drifting clouds, leaving absolutely no trace to follow.
Even more terrifying was that, during this exchange, it felt as if everything within the barrier had gained sentience.
Whether it was the Edge of Taixu or the Eminence stances, the moment Fu Hua slightly adjusted her posture to counterattack, some completely unexpected natural phenomenon would occur, organically interrupting her flow.
Sometimes a koi fish would suddenly leap from the stream by her feet; other times, a dragonfly would casually land on her shoulder. It was as if the entire universe was actively plotting against her.
Stat suppression? The gap between ancient and modern eras?
Against this supreme Daoist Ancestor—whose appearance completely shattered all stereotypes—all those concepts seemed utterly meaningless.
Indeed. The reason the Divine Key Ruoshui had left such a legendary mark on history was never because it possessed world-shattering, heaven-cleaving destructive power. If it did, it wouldn't have snapped in half during the Second Eruption.
Its fame didn't come from itself; it came from the sheer luck of becoming Xiao Yun's weapon.
In her hands, the utterly ordinary Ruoshui could sever anything in creation, yet remain utterly indestructible against the myriad phenomena of the universe.
The long, black-stocking-clad legs wrapped around Fuli's waist suddenly gave a playful squeeze, accompanied by Mobius's teasing hum:
"You're so heartless, my baby Li~ You're watching your prematurely mature little cousin get bullied by an outsider, yet your heart rate hasn't changed in the slightest?"
When she said the words 'prematurely mature,' she deliberately dragged out the syllables with a mocking tone, as if emphasizing or hinting at something.
"A probe of this level is something cousin can easily handle." Fuli's response was filled with unquestionable trust. At the same time, he slapped away the cold, soft hand of a certain Snake that was once again trying to slither under the hem of his shirt.
Exactly as he predicted, when Ruoshui, cloaked in continuous sword aura, slashed down once more...
CLANG—!
The crisp sound of clashing metal echoed through the valley. Without dodging or evading, Fu Hua's left hand—equipped with the Grips of Taixu—precisely and steadily caught the blade mid-air, executing a flawless bare-handed blade catch.
"My luck has always been terrible. Anyone who knows me knows that."
Gorgeous eyes, faintly glowing with a crimson hue, peered through her messy bangs. In the air around her, six longswords composed of Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Heaven, and Lightning materialized out of nowhere. Emitting piercing shrieks as they tore through the air, they shot toward Xiao Yun, forcing her to retreat continuously.
"The natural Dao of the universe. The heart of heaven is my heart; borrowing the mandate of heaven to use it... This is the realm of 'Uniting with the Dao' recorded in ancient texts—the state of becoming one with heaven and earth."
Fu Hua murmured softly to herself. "To put it in modern terms: everything in the world must operate according to the fundamental rules of the universe—like gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force... A Sage who has reached your realm is capable of 'seeing' the massive web woven by these fundamental rules. By synchronizing your own will with these threads, you can observe, interfere with, and even command everything connected to them. You manipulate the myriad phenomena as if acting as the avatar of the world's will itself."
The young girl walked forward at a leisurely pace, yet her steps perfectly aligned with some profound trajectory. Illusory wings burning with blazing fire suddenly unfurled from her back, effortlessly shattering three massive boulders hurling toward her from behind.
"If we were outside, facing you in your state of absolute harmony with nature, even if your stats were suppressed by the tournament rules, the current me absolutely wouldn't be your match."
ROAAAR!!!
The massive river below transformed into a raging flood dragon, churning up mud and sand from miles of riverbed as it roared toward her.
Fu Hua formed her fingers into a sword. A flash of cold light erupted, cleaving the massive dragon cleanly in two.
"Unfortunately for you, this is merely a simulated pocket dimension created by a barrier. Its total area is no more than a hundred miles in radius."
She marched forward step by step. The Grips of Taixu flickered continuously, dissolving every single attack like snow melting in the sun.
Lightning strikes were incinerated by blazing fire. Howling gales were frozen solid by absolute zero.
"Right now, when I can output Critical-tier combat power, even if you become the Heavenly Dao of this confined world, you pose absolutely no threat to me."
Stopping exactly thirty feet away from Xiao Yun, Fu Hua gazed at the beautiful, elegant face that felt both incredibly familiar and yet strangely foreign. She stared into those eyes—eyes as pristine as alpine lakes, yet utterly hollow and dead.
She let out a soft sigh, her expression incredibly complex, though inwardly she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
So they didn't import her memories?
Looking at it that way, Miyuki Asakura's match should be perfectly fine as well.
Yet, a wave of profound pity washed over her heart. No matter how you looked at it, this was an old acquaintance from the past. Even though she had been agonizing over how to handle their reunion, seeing Xiao Yun reduced to a soulless puppet still made her feel—
SQUELCH!
The sickening sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh abruptly shattered the silence between them.
Fu Hua slowly lowered her head. She looked at the crimson tip of a blade that had pierced through her back and erupted out of her chest, then looked back up at the utterly impassive Xiao Yun standing in front of her.
A clone? The technique of 'One Breath transforming into Three Purities'?
No! That's wrong!
That was a fictional skill added to the mythos of Taishang Laojun by later generations! The original Xiao Yun absolutely didn't know how to do that!
But rather than questioning the bizarre source of the attack, Fu Hua's top priority right now was to immediately escape the blade's range.
The Xiao Yun in front of her didn't give her the chance. A flash of light erupted from the Ruoshui in her hand, piercing straight through Fu Hua's fragile body from the front.
One from the front, one from the back. One blue, one crimson. The two longswords formed a cruel cross inside the young girl's body, completely pinning her in place.
The match is decided, huh...
Fu Hua sighed, though she didn't feel any overwhelming sense of disappointment.
With this level of injury, even without the 'save-state' badge Mobius had given her, the hyper-regeneration granted by the Garuda genes was more than enough to let her recover rapidly.
The young girl raised her hand, preparing to decisively forfeit the match.
"I surrend—"
Before the word could fully leave her lips, a strand of pale yellow hair drifted into the corner of her vision.
A sudden, ominous premonition seized Fu Hua. She stared blankly as she slowly turned her head.
The ambusher was tall, clad in a blue-and-white martial arts outfit that blended ancient Shenzhou styles with modern design. The long sleeves fluttered in the wind. His pale yellow hair was tied into a waist-length ponytail, and a single sword mark on his forehead only highlighted his handsome, youthful face.
Yes, it was none other than the current Sword Champion of the Luofu—the referee who had been standing at the edge of the arena just moments ago.
Yanqing!
Outside the arena, Fuli saw everything with crystal clarity. Just as his older cousin was about to secure the victory, the Sword Champion had suddenly vanished.
When he reappeared, he was wielding a longsword as crimson as blood, executing a blatantly shameless sneak attack right in front of tens of thousands of live spectators and countless broadcast cameras!
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!"
Fuli erupted into a towering rage. With a sharp SHING, he drew the Plasma Kagehide.
Wrapped in the pale-cyan wind of Lan's Form, he was ready to completely disregard the rules, charge onto the stage, and hack the despicable backstabber to pieces.
But an overwhelmingly powerful, invisible force suddenly surged from all directions, forcefully pinning his enraged body firmly in place.
"Why do you think the folks at the Taixu Frontline specifically asked me—someone you're relatively familiar with—to stand right here?"
A teasing, mocking voice echoed in his ear. Countless pre-prepared energy shackles and binding formulas layered themselves onto the boy's body, firmly locking him in place.
"I know you have some bizarre abilities that let you weaken any negative external interference by over ninety percent, so I used some... special methods."
Mobius took two elegant steps back, her face once again adorned with a seductive, mysterious smile. "Of course, even so, with your capabilities, you'll probably break free in a few seconds... But I can guarantee you, if you choose to blindly charge up there right now, you will very quickly feel an overwhelming sense of regret for your reckless impulsiveness."
"Fuck off!"
Fuli couldn't be bothered to listen to the venomous snake's garbage anymore. He instantly expanded the omniscient domain of the Cold River Reflects the Moon.
Every trace of energy flow and information within a ten-meter radius was instantly converted into tangible streams of light, which he rapidly began to read and analyze.
"This is..."
When he finally saw the truth revealed by that information, the boy's eyes widened drastically. The absolute fury on his face was instantly replaced by profound shock and total disbelief.
---||---
At the same time, atop the peak of Mount Taixu—
"Yanqing!!!"
Fu Hua clenched her fists, her expression freezing over.
She finally got a clear look at the weapon used to backstab her. It was five feet and nine inches long. Its entire body was a burning crimson, as if freshly quenched from a forge. The blade was massive yet light as a feather, and it possessed the ability to manipulate light.
It was Crimson Judgment—a Divine Key of Domination, exactly like Ruoshui!
And it was also the Sword of Xuanyuan wielded five hundred years ago by Ma Feima, the 'Sword of the Steed,' one of the Six Disciples of Taixu!
The Seven Swords of Taixu... the Celestial Phoenix... a sneak attack from behind...
Stringing these words together, didn't they sound terrifyingly familiar?
Yet, even at this exact moment, Fu Hua's very first thought was, 'Did something catastrophic happen on the Luofu? Is Yanqing being coerced?'
She absolutely refused to immediately believe that she had been betrayed once again, perfectly demonstrating the phrase: A noble person can easily be deceived by their own righteousness.
Fortunately, this time, the good person didn't need to have a gun pointed at their head.
There was no expected wave of excruciating agony. There was no heart-tearing, lung-piercing sensation of trauma.
Yes. This time, even though her body had been entirely impaled by two Divine Keys—Ruoshui from the front, Crimson Judgment from the back—for several agonizing seconds, Fu Hua didn't feel a single trace of the agonizing torment she had suffered in the past.
Having completed their tasks, Xiao Yun and Yanqing silently retreated, leaving the young girl standing alone on the mountain peak, her cold, beautiful face displaying a rare look of total bewilderment and loss.
A few seconds later, a gentle yet boundless force carefully lifted her body, suspending her in mid-air.
A stream of cool, incredibly pure, life-giving energy flowed out from the two longswords. It surged into her, continuously repairing the body that had been battered, broken, and riddled with holes time and time again—from the battle at Mount Taixu, through the countless wars that followed, all the way to the present day.
This entirely unexpected twist of events left everyone outside the arena equally baffled. Whether it was the tens of thousands of live spectators or the billions watching the broadcast, the entire universe was plunged into a state of profound confusion and absolute silence.
However, just as the whispers began to rise, they were instantly crushed by a cold, highly penetrating voice:
"Everyone, please allow me to borrow a little of your time to recount a story that truly happened."
It was Fu Xuan.
The dignified General of the Luofu was making an exceptionally rare cameo as the announcer.
Her tone was solemn and incredibly serious. "A story titled: The Celestial Phoenix."
The first half of the story was no secret; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was a household legend.
In an era when civilization was still barbaric, the Celestial Phoenix and a group of Pioneers descended upon the ancient lands of Shenzhou. They purged the rampaging Honkai and slaughtered demonic beasts, acting as indomitable guardian deities, shielding the fragile seedling of civilization from the storms.
Even later, when the other Pioneers passed away for various reasons, the Celestial remained true to her original vow. She refused to allow the shadow of the Honkai to taint this land.
This solitary vigil lasted for four thousand five hundred years.
The turning point of the story happened exactly five hundred years ago.
"In the year 1476 CE, a massive fire suddenly erupted on Mount Taixu. At that moment, a pillar of golden light pierced the heavens, illuminating the sky for a hundred miles."
"On that very day, the Celestial Phoenix vanished without a trace. Her seven disciples scattered to the four winds, utterly refusing to speak a single word regarding their master's whereabouts."
"Thus, a rumor spread throughout the martial world: the Celestial had achieved perfect enlightenment and ascended to the heavens as an immortal."
Fu Xuan remained utterly expressionless. "This is the ending of the Celestial's tale that has been passed down through history, the version known to all."
She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the silent crowd below. Her tone suddenly plummeted, turning bone-chillingly heavy. "But that is a lie."
"General! Then what is the truth of the matter?!" a voice called out from the crowd.
"The truth..."
Fu Xuan closed her eyes, the third eye on her forehead dimming.
Yet her voice rang out with absolute clarity, striking heavily against the heartstrings of every single person listening: "The truth is... the Celestial Phoenix was conspired against and murdered by the very seven disciples she had poured her heart into teaching, the disciples she treated as her own flesh and blood!"
After that battle:
Her right foot was severed cleanly at the ankle.
The meridians in both her arms were completely destroyed.
All of her internal organs were utterly pulverized.
Her chest, which bore the heaviest injuries, had over a dozen gaping wounds.
But the most fatal strike was to her head.
It was a sword wound.
The blade pierced her forehead, scrambled her brain, and erupted through the back of her skull.
"..."
"..."
"..."
As her words fell, the crowd was first struck by a suffocating silence, followed instantly by a rising tide of low sobs and uncontrollable, grief-stricken wails of pure fury.
The Celestial Phoenix had long ceased to be just a historical figure. She was the absolute totem of Shenzhou, a symbol carved deep into the very soul of the nation.
This held true for the citizens of Shenzhou in the Origin World, and it was equally true for the people of the Alliance drifting endlessly through the Sea of Quanta.
The reason the Celestial Phoenix always sat isolated in meditation on Mount Taixu wasn't just because she didn't want to interfere in mortal affairs and cause chaos. It was because she was constantly projecting her spirit across dimensional barriers, shielding the countless Shenzhou descendants scattered throughout the Sea of Quanta, helping them fend off alien invaders.
Did Shenzhou people who left the Origin World cease to be Shenzhou people?
The Celestial had used her actual actions to declare to everyone: Absolutely not!
Because of this, her sudden, unexplained disappearance five hundred years ago had triggered a catastrophic uproar. There were even dynasties in certain bubble universes that were overthrown by furious citizens, believing their rulers had lost their mandate and angered the Celestial.
And yet, the actual result?
Her right foot severed at the ankle. The meridians in both hands destroyed. All internal organs pulverized. A sword straight through the brain.
Just imagining that horrific scene was enough to tear a person's heart to pieces!
Fu Xuan remained silent for a long time, as if struggling to suppress her own violently surging emotions, before she finally continued. "However, the Celestial is, after all, the Celestial. She did not truly die. Instead, she lay hidden in the shadows, painstakingly accumulating energy to heal her wounds."
Starting from a single neuron, her brain and flesh began an agonizingly long process of repair and reconstruction.
She drew in every microscopic trace of energy from her surroundings.
She patched her flayed skin.
She reconnected her shattered bones.
She stitched together her torn muscles.
She repaired her obliterated organs...
Gradually, the Celestial's consciousness regained its senses.
She saw the lines of light and shadow shift across the small window of the stone chamber—moving from east to west, then returning from west to east.
She smelled the rotting stench of dead insects mixed with the fading fragrance of withered grass, lingering endlessly in the enclosed room.
She heard the sound of falling leaves striking the earth as summer bled into autumn, and sensed the gentle swaying of branches embracing the winter snow.
And she felt the pain. The throbbing, the soreness, the numbness, the swelling, the relentless itch... screaming endlessly from every corner of her body.
A thousand disasters upon her body, a hundred agonies in her flesh. The torment seemed absolutely endless.
Endless reconstruction. Endless agony.
Yet the Celestial didn't utter a single cry.
"Ugh..."
"Those animals!"
Sobs and furious curses echoed across the grandstands once more.
This time, Fu Xuan didn't wait.
"Even facing such horrific betrayal, the Celestial never harbored a single shred of doubt. She never once questioned whether the people of Shenzhou were truly worth her protection."
"Rising from the dead, she embarked on her journey once again. Later, atop the Peak of the Heavenly Dome, she was once again gravely injured and pushed to the brink of death. Although she miraculously survived, she lost the vast majority of her power and her immortal body."
"Afterward, in order to continue protecting a fragile, tempest-tossed Shenzhou, the Celestial made a deal with Otto Apocalypse of Schicksal, becoming a Valkyrie under his command. Later still, she continuously maneuvered between Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and countless other factions, fighting desperately to buy the Taixu Frontline the most precious window of time to breathe and grow. She brought us from having absolutely nothing... to a point where we no longer need to bow to anyone else's whims!"
Fu Xuan took a deep breath. Her voice suddenly spiked in volume, pointing toward the slender figure atop Mount Taixu currently bathed in sacred light, with an earth-shattering intensity of pure reverence and absolute declaration:
"And the name the Celestial currently goes by... is Fu Hua!"
BOOOOOM!!!
This declaration was like dropping a hundred depth charges into a vat of boiling oil, instantly detonating the emotions of the entire universe!
The live chats and comment sections of every major broadcast platform were completely paralyzed. In the arena, gasps of shock, frantic discussions, and screams of utter disbelief merged into a deafening tsunami of sound!
Yet Fu Hua, currently the absolute focus of the entire universe's gaze, didn't show a trace of glory or joy on her face. Instead, she looked incredibly anxious and utterly confused.
Didn't we agree on this?
The image of the white-haired, red-eyed Celestial Phoenix would remain a symbol of history, while I would walk the world under the identity of the gray-haired, green-eyed Fu Hua. Why are you—
"Why reveal it? And in front of so many people?"
Xiao Yun, standing before her, suddenly spoke. Her face carried a gentle, profoundly respectful smile. "Naturally, it is because the Celestial is the Celestial."
"Who truly wishes to live their entire life entirely anonymously, forever unable to show their true face to the world?"
Yanqing dropped to one knee, his voice low and heavy with guilt. "We all know you only did this because you didn't want to embarrass us. You wanted to leave us, the younger generation, with our dignity."
Embarrassed about what? What dignity?
The embarrassment that the supreme symbol of Shenzhou's protection had to join Schicksal and serve as a mere A-rank Valkyrie!
The embarrassment that for five hundred years, she was ordered around like a subordinate, remaining completely anonymous to this very day!
Was this Fu Hua's failure?
NO! This was Shenzhou's failure!
Because at that time, Shenzhou lacked the strength to protect her when she lost her power!
They couldn't protect the Pioneer who had bled herself dry for this land until she had nearly nothing left!
Fu Hua herself obviously didn't care about this, nor did she feel humiliated. But she didn't want the younger generation to bear these heavy shackles. She didn't want them to be mocked and ridiculed behind their backs by outsiders who learned the truth.
That was exactly why she had proposed the arrangement: The Celestial Phoenix remained the Celestial Phoenix, and Fu Hua remained Fu Hua.
"But what does it matter if it's not dignified?!"
A roar like splitting thunder shattered the sky. The massive Yaoqing flagship, Yueyu, tore through the clouds, spanning thousands of meters.
Standing at the prow, Feixiao gripped a massive war banner snapping fiercely in the wind. Her awe-inspiring voice echoed across the heavens: "That is the grueling, blood-soaked path you walked to protect us! To protect the countless lives of Shenzhou!"
"To forget history is equivalent to betrayal!" General Huaiyan, who was also present, stated sternly. "We should not, and absolutely will not, take your sacrifices for granted! They deserve to be known by the people, and they MUST be known by the people!"
"Celestial, please, look around you!"
Looking out, one silhouette after another—some illusory, some terrifyingly solid—stepped out as if walking on the waves of the river of time, gradually materializing around Mount Taixu.
Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizu of Song...
The sages of the Temple of Culture, the heroic martyrs of the Temple of War, peerless scholars, and legendary heroes from every dynasty...
An endless, dense ocean of figures stood in absolute reverence, facing the peak of the mountain!
Fuli had wondered about this earlier. Shenzhou's reverence for its martyrs and ancestors was carved directly into their bones. Under normal circumstances, how could they possibly allow the younger generation to draw blades against the projections of their ancestors for mere entertainment?
Because the tournament was merely a smokescreen!
The true objective of the Taixu Frontline was a meticulously planned, impossibly grand welcome ceremony spanning five thousand years of history!
All of it, just to welcome their long-wandering Guardian back home!
"Please witness this, Celestial!"
The high echelon of the Taixu Frontline—led by Fu Xuan, Feixiao, and the others—cupped their fists in perfect unison, bowing deeply toward Fu Hua atop the mountain!
Following their lead, Fu Hua's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the incomprehensibly magnificent spectacle below.
Leading the charge was Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, seated in his true bronze chariot, surrounded by the elite Qin soldiers who had unified the Six Kingdoms.
"Who says we have no clothes? We share our robes with you! The valiant Old Qin marches together to face the nation's disaster!"
The battle cry shook the heavens and earth. The military formations were ironclad, their killing intent piercing the clouds. Prime Minister Li Si personally held a brush, carving their merits in ancient seal script.
Following them, the Son of the Red Emperor rode out, gripping a three-foot blade, flanked by the Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty.
Emperor Wu of Han, riding a magnificent Ferghana horse, rode shoulder-to-shoulder with the Marquis of Changping and the Champion Marquis. Behind them rode the legendary Han cavalry that had once swept across the Xiongnu and performed the sacred rites at Mount Langjuxu!
Beneath the snapping banners of the Han, the majestic roar of the empire echoed for a hundred miles!
Emperor Zhaolie followed closely atop his steed, Dilu, accompanied by his Five Tiger Generals and the Sleeping Dragon. In a quiet corner, a scruffy Daoist priest wearing a yellow turban smiled broadly as he processed the information in his mind, learning that in this era, everyone finally had enough to eat.
Next came Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, charging forward like a shooting star atop the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, closely followed by the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion.
The accompanying soldiers gripped their Tang daos, projecting an awe-inspiring presence. On massive floats, performers enacted the Prince of Qin Breaks the Enemy Array, while dancers executed the legendary Dunhuang reverse-pipa technique.
Master Xuanzang chanted sutras of blessing from his palanquin. Behind the carriages of Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong, envoys from ten thousand nations came to pay their respects.
On a gorgeous, resplendent float, Emperor Xuanzong, Li Longji, played the Jie drum while the disciples of the Pear Garden provided the music. Yang Yuhuan performed the Dance of Neon Garments and Feathered Skirts, and An Lushan spun in the Sogdian Whirl. Behind them, three thousand exquisite court ladies moved like clouds—a perfect recreation of the magnificent Spring Outing of the Tang Beauties.
The Poet Immortal, Li Bai, serving as the Hanlin Academician, composed poetry on the spot as he walked.
On another flank, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, draped in a yellow robe, led the Imperial Guards of the Great Song.
The generals of the Yang Family lined up in a single row. Emperor Renzong of Song walked slowly, accompanied by Bao Zheng.
Li Shishi played the pipa and sang Li Qingzhao's Slow, Slow Tune, while Yue Fei and the Yue Army roared the Man Jiang Hong in perfect unison, their voices shaking the cosmos. The Minister of Rites, Su Shi, composed lyrics on the spot for the soldiers to sing.
Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, strode forward with the gait of a dragon and a tiger. Leading the way were the Brocade Guards, dressed in Flying Fish suits and wielding Embroidered Spring swords. Behind them marched the Shenji Battalion of the Yongle Emperor, and the invincible Qi Army led by Qi Jiguang.
"Drive out the barbarians, restore Zhonghua! The sun, moon, mountains, and rivers shall last forever! The Great Ming shall endure forever!"
A massive retinue of officials—Yu Qian, Wang Yangming, Hai Rui, Zhang Juzheng—marched in their embroidered court robes. Zheng He and Koxinga commanded the Great Ming naval fleet, escorting the procession atop massive treasure ships.
The brilliant scholar Tang Yin painted furiously, capturing the unprecedented majesty of the moment.
And then,
And then,
And later...
Through the smoke and struggle, through the rise and the rejuvenation...
Until the roar of jet engines shattered the sky. Modern eagles soared through the heavens, and the strategic missile forces—capable of deterring the entire globe—rolled past in an awe-inspiring, imposing march under the watchful eyes of countless people.
This colossal, unstoppable procession—marching from the dawn of ancient history straight into the modern era—arrayed itself perfectly at the foot of Mount Taixu.
Every historical grievance, every internal conflict, was utterly cast aside. Together, they raised their heads, gazing at the solitary figure atop the mountain.
The mountain wind swept past, carrying the frost and dust of ancient weapons, mingling with the scent of ink from countless books.
Fu Hua floated in the air, the deep scars on her body and soul gently smoothed away by the power surging from the Divine Keys.
The young girl looked down at the magnificent, breathtaking tapestry stretching for dozens of miles—a tapestry that encapsulated the absolute entirety of Shenzhou's history. Her lips trembled for a long time, yet she couldn't find a single word to say.
"We know that the vast majority of your memories from these past thousands of years were scattered to the wind during the Second Eruption," Situ Qinghong said softly, stepping to her side. "So, please allow us—inadequate as we are—to use this scene... to slightly fill in the blanks you have forgotten."
The Celestial had been away from Shenzhou for five hundred years. People always said, "When a child travels a thousand miles, the mother worries." But when the mother traveled far away, did the children not stay awake at night, hearts heavy with worry?
But now, everything was fine.
The ancient sages and pioneers had carved out a home here. Enduring countless storms and brutal hardships, it had stood tall and unshakable for five thousand years.
And this torch of the human spirit had been steadily passed down, generation after generation.
Through a thousand autumns, through ten thousand generations, until the end of eternity.
"And this endless, unbroken epic... is the very first chapter, written by your own hands!"
Every single phantom, every single living person, roared in absolute unison. The sound shook the very foundations of the universe.
Why did humanity believe that fire was the dawn of civilization?
Because on that day, five thousand years ago—just as the ancestors of Shenzhou were about to be devoured by beasts—
A girl with white hair and crimson eyes, cloaked in raging flames, descended from the heavens!
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