Beginning with the Five Animals Fist to Become a Saint

The Imperial Palace.

Taiji Hall.

Two palace maids hurriedly brought over a chair and placed it behind the black-robed demon king.

"Then, thank you very much, Great Xia's King of the Side!" the black-robed demon king said casually, then sat down directly. His posture was casual, but he exuded an aura of profound and majestic authority.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, Ji Xuan's calm gaze fell on Bai Li, the princess of the demon kingdom, and then swept over the black-robed demon king sitting to the side.

"The delegation from the Demon Kingdom has come from afar, and for the first time ever, it is accompanied by the Demon King. Besides presenting gifts, they must have something else in mind. Let's speak frankly."

Bai Libing raised her blue eyes, met Ji Xuan's gaze for a moment, and then stood up.

He bowed again and said, "Our country has come here with a request. This matter concerns the Demon Kingdom and also the stability of the Great Xia."

"What could possibly involve such a large matter?" Ji Xuan asked.

At this moment, Bai Li looked at a follower beside him and nodded slightly to him.

The attendant immediately stepped forward and presented a simple, dark iron box with both hands.

The box is covered with dark patterns, resembling dragons and clouds, which are quite mysterious.

Bai Li took it personally, lightly touched the lid with her fingertips, and with a click, the lid popped open.

All eyes in the hall were fixed on this scene, bewildered by what they were seeing.

Ji Xuan was the same.

At this moment, Bai Li reached into the box and pulled out a palm-sized token.

The token is neither gold nor jade, but a dark gold color, with what appears to be traces of time's erosion on its surface, and a simple and ancient character "圣" (saint) is engraved in the center.

The handwriting is deep and bold, as if it contains some indescribable will; just by looking at it, one's heart is slightly chilled.

"I wonder if the Regent recognizes this?" Bai Li asked, holding the token.

"This is..." Ji Xuan looked at the token in Bai Li's hand, his gaze slightly narrowed, and there was some disbelief in his eyes.

At this moment, the three of them, Divine Might King Li Tianwen, Xiang Yuan, and Xiao Wuque, stared wide-eyed at the token in Bai Li's hand.

With just one glance, they recognized what the token in Bai Li's hand was.

at the same time.

Bai Li looked at Ji Xuan on the nine-tiered steps, holding the token and speaking.

"Eight hundred years ago, at the beginning of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Martial Saint personally visited my Demon Kingdom and made a pact with our Demon Emperor, leaving behind the Holy Martial Decree." Bai Li's voice was clear and melodious, yet every word was distinct: "With this decree, our country can make one request to the Martial Saint. Back then, the Martial Saint said that as long as it does not violate the laws of Heaven and human ethics, nor harm the foundation of the Great Xia Kingdom, he will grant the request of the holder of the decree."

A surprised voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

"impossible!"

"That was a Martial Saint! How could he have agreed to such an unreasonable request from the Demon Kingdom back then?"

"That's right! The Martial Saint dominated the world for over eight hundred years. What did the Demon Kingdom rely on to get the Martial Saint to leave this condition?"

"."

Ji Xuan looked at the Sacred Martial Token in Bai Li's hand, his eyes flickering slightly.

He immediately looked down at the Divine Might King below the stage.

Li Tianwen, the Divine Might King, was the eldest disciple of the Martial Saint.

No one understands the Martial Saint better than Li Tianwen.

At this moment, meeting Ji Xuan's gaze, Divine Might King Li Tianwen nodded.

Seeing this, Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze.

"You just said that what you are asking for concerns the stability of Great Xia. I am curious, what could possibly concern the current stability of Great Xia?"

Bai Li said, "The Regent should know that after the great changes in the ancient world environment, the strong who survived in our demon race have all entered a long slumber! Even though slumber can slow down the loss of lifespan, after a long period of time, some of the strong in our demon race will have their lifespans exhausted."

"In the Dragon Burial Abyss, a vicious dragon was trapped there some time ago and has now awakened. This dragon possesses the bloodline of an ancient black dragon and is exceptionally ferocious. In order to prolong its lifespan, this demon has successively devoured three of our clan's settlements, resulting in the deaths and injuries of over ten thousand demons. Our country has launched three sieges against it, but each time we were defeated due to its overwhelming strength and the advantageous terrain of the Dragon Burial Abyss. Now this dragon has over four thousand years of cultivation. If it advances further, it will transform into a dragon and have over five thousand years of cultivation. At that time, this dragon's greed will surely grow even stronger, posing a threat not only to our demon kingdom but also to the Great Xia."

She paused briefly before continuing, "That is why my Emperor has ordered me to come here with the Holy Martial Decree, to earnestly request the Martial Saint to help the Demon Kingdom slay this fiend. The Martial Saint made a pact with my Emperor years ago, and now that I have the Holy Martial Decree, the Martial Saint should grant my kingdom's request and fulfill his old promise."

After Bai Li finished speaking...

Ji Xuan then spoke up, saying, "I have never heard of the Holy Martial Decree. How can you prove the truth of your statement?"

The words fell.

The hall fell silent.

The black-robed demon king's gaze sharpened.

Suddenly, there was a sense of impending doom, like the wind howling in the wind.

"No need for further explanation, this token is the very thing I personally handed over to the Demon Emperor back then!" Suddenly, a young man's voice rang out above the Taiji Palace.

The solemn atmosphere in the hall was instantly broken as the sound rang out.

"Yes!" Upon hearing this voice, Ji Xuan suddenly stood up with a "whoosh".

The civil and military officials all looked around in astonishment.

Li Xiang, Beicang King, Li Tianwen, and others, who were originally sitting, all stood up from their chairs with a "whoosh".

Bai Li and the black-robed demon king, who had just sat down, also stood up.

Just then.

A beam of white light pierced through the hall from outside and then exploded in the sky above the hall.

As specks of white light spread, a figure shrouded in a hazy white light appeared in everyone's sight.

In an instant, countless eyes were fixed on the figure in the hazy white light.

"Master...Master?" Divine Might King Li Tianwen was the first to react, his voice trembling slightly. He immediately knelt down and performed a grand salute: "Disciple Li Tianwen greets Master!"

His movement caused an uproar in the hall, followed by a series of kneeling sounds.

Li Xiang, the King of Beicang, Xiao Wuque, Xiang Yuan... and even the entire court of civil and military officials, except for Princess Xuan and a few members of the demon kingdom's delegation, all had prostrated themselves and kowtowed.

"Your humble servants pay homage to the Martial Saint!"

"Your humble servants pay homage to the Martial Saint!!"

The sound waves surged like a tide, echoing through the magnificent palace.

Jiang Ning bowed along with the others, but he was deeply shaken.

He didn't expect that the Martial Saint Spirit would suddenly descend at this moment.

He looked up and saw a young figure in the dim light, not the old man he had seen in the thatched hut.

Ji Xuan looked at the figure above, slowly cupped his hands, and bowed.

"Ji Xuan pays respects to the Guardian Martial Saint!!"

"Qingqiu Bai Li pays respects to the Martial Saint!" Bai Li also lowered his head and bowed in greeting.

"Three-headed Golden Crow, Black Feather, pays respects to the Martial Saint!" The Black-Robed Demon King also bowed in greeting.

The hazy white figure hovered about a foot above the ground, its feet not touching the ground.
He raised his hand and the Holy Martial Token in Bai Li's hand flew out and into his hand.

"The Martial Saint's Decree is genuine!" His voice was calm. "I will fulfill the promise I made to the Demon Emperor back then."

A hint of relief flashed in Bai Li's icy blue eyes. She bowed solemnly once more: "Bai Li of Qingqiu, on behalf of the people of the Demon Kingdom, thanks the Martial Saint."

The hazy white figure nodded slightly to Bai Li, then with a flick of its wrist, the token in its hand vanished instantly.

"In that case, let's go! I'll go with you to the Demon Kingdom!"

"Wait!" Just then, Demon King Hei Yu suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the hazy white figure hovering a foot off the ground.

Then, he spoke again: "Martial Saint, this doesn't seem to be your true form, does it?" Upon hearing this, the figure bathed in hazy white light swept towards the Demon King Black Feather and then sneered.

“I know what you’re thinking: to come to the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom, with you following me, to probe my strengths and weaknesses! I also know that the calamity of the evil dragon was also your way of probing my strengths and weaknesses.”

The words fell.

The hall fell silent.

The Demon King Black Feather's pupils dilated, as if he were somewhat frightened.

next moment.

A hazy white light appeared as a hand gestured.

Without a sound, a white light pierced the sky.

boom--

A loud explosion.

The head of the demon king Hei Yu exploded on the spot, and the space between his shoulders became empty, with no head left.

"I've already taken your head as punishment!"

As the words fell, the figure in the hazy white light withdrew his finger, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust.

The Demon King Black Feather's body stood frozen in place, the severed neck as smooth as a mirror, without a trace of blood splattering. Only wisps of black smoke rose from the wound, vaguely transforming into the distorted phantom of a crow, emitting a silent mournful cry before completely dissipating.

The hall was deathly silent.

The civil and military officials remained kneeling on the ground, none daring to raise their heads; only suppressed breathing echoed in the empty hall.

Jiang Ning's pupils contracted as he watched this scene, his heart filled with shock.

He hadn't been able to directly sense the power of the Martial Saint's previous attack.

Even Ling Xuzi's death was not considered particularly exaggerated in his eyes.

After all, Ling Xuzi was a fake immortal and not a true high-ranking member of the Flying Immortal Sect.

But this demon king, named "Black Feather," is different.

That was a demon king with three thousand years of cultivation, of noble blood, whose strength in ancient times was truly comparable to that of immortals and gods.

In this day and age, due to changes in the environment, the strength of immortals and gods has declined significantly, and the remaining immortals and gods are probably not as powerful as this Black Feather Demon King.

The figure shrouded in hazy white light before them was merely the avatar of the Martial Spirit, not the true Martial Spirit himself.

He had seen this spirit body several times before.

He hadn't expected that his mere presence as a spirit, with a casual flick of his finger, would produce such a strike without warning, without even causing a violent fluctuation in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, yet it contained a power beyond reason.

He easily severed the head of the Black Feather Demon King.

This is enough to illustrate the vast difference in strength between the two.

He understood that, given this situation, the Martial Spirit Body could kill this Demon King-level expert in an instant if he so desired.

at the same time.

Bai Li watched this scene, her icy blue eyes trembling violently, her lips slightly parted beneath her veil, but she couldn't utter a sound.

The demon followers beside her were so stiff and cold that they almost collapsed to the ground.

"Considering the difficulty of your cultivation, I will spare your life." The voice of the Martial Spirit Body remained calm. "You possess the bloodline of the Three-Headed Golden Crow. Today, I will sever one of your heads. You can recover it through a hundred years of arduous cultivation. Do you accept this punishment?"

The headless body of the black feather swayed, and the flesh at the severed neck slowly wriggled, growing bones, meridians, skin, and so on at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within moments, a newborn head, pale-faced and with its eyes closed, had taken shape.

He opened his eyes, his gaze dimmed, his aura weakened considerably, yet he dared not harbor the slightest resentment.

He bowed respectfully to the figure shrouded in a hazy white light, his voice hoarse: "Black Feather, I accept the punishment and thank the Martial Saint for sparing my life."

The Martial Spirit Body no longer looked at him, but turned to Bai Li: "Since I have agreed to the matter of the evil dragon, I will not go back on my word. I will go with you to slay this evil dragon. The evil dragon, which is nearly five thousand years old, is about to transform into a dragon, which will help me recover some of my vitality!"

"You can also tell the Demon Emperor directly! My lifespan is almost over, my blood and energy are declining, and I am at my weakest. If he wants to explore the secrets of my Martial Saint, he should come to Great Xia in person. It will also be a good opportunity for me to see if he has grown any stronger over the years."

Bai Li took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, and then bowed solemnly.

"Qingqiu Baili, on behalf of the entire Demon Kingdom, thanks the Martial Saint for his assistance."

"Let's go! Let's resolve this matter as soon as possible!" Wu Sheng said.

"Martial Saint!" Just then, Ji Mingyuan suddenly kowtowed heavily to the Holy Spirit of the Martial Saint.

The hazy white light paused briefly, and a gaze swept towards Ji Mingyuan, who was kneeling on the ground.

"My father is in poor health; I beg the Martial Saint to lend a helping hand!"

"I cannot help him in this calamity! The art of curse killing involves the great Dao of cause and effect, which is my weakness!" The Martial Spirit Body spoke calmly, and then continued, "What Great Xia needs to do now is to select a suitable successor."

After the words of the Martial Saint Spirit Body fell, the Taiji Hall fell silent.

A thoughtful glint flashed in the eyes of each prince.

These words represented the will and attitude of the Martial Saint.

The court must select a suitable successor to inherit the throne.

This is the will of the Martial Saint.

Just then.

Li Xiang bowed to the Martial Saint.

"Martial Saint, among the princes, who should be the heir to the throne?"

The words fell.

The Taiji Hall became even quieter, with only a few rapid breaths heard.

Whether it was Ji Minghao, Ji Mingyuan, Ji Mingyu, or the other princes, their breathing became rapid at this moment.

They understood that all their previous schemes, private contacts and dealings with many ministers, and countless promises of benefits were meaningless at this moment.

If the Martial Saint were to issue his decree at this moment, even the youngest sixteenth prince, without much support, would undoubtedly become the next ruler of Great Xia, without any changes or accidents.

Just then.

The Martial Saint Spirit said indifferently, "This is a matter for the imperial court. You can decide for yourselves. I have no interest in getting involved!"

Leave this message.

He then looked at Jiang Ning.

"Lord Dongling, would you be willing to accompany me on a trip to the Demon Kingdom?"

In an instant.

Inside the Taiji Hall, all eyes turned to Jiang Ning.

There was astonishment, speculation, envy, and also a hint of jealousy.
Various opinions were drawn.

This is the favor of the Martial Saint, an honor that countless people yearn for.

The envious gazes were particularly intense among the princes.

They understood that if they could gain the favor of the Martial Saint like Jiang Ning, then the title of Lord of Great Xia would undoubtedly fall to them.

At this moment, Jiang Ning hesitated for a moment, took half a step forward, cupped his hands and replied, "Since the Martial Saint has invited me, this junior will naturally comply."

His voice was calm and composed, neither arrogant nor humble.

Compared to others, he didn't experience much emotional fluctuation.

He had seen the true face of the Martial Saint more than once.

He also knew that the Martial Saint favored him because of his previous performance. (End of Chapter)