Unlimited priesthood

Chapter 98 The Grand Show (Mega Chapter)

"This……"

Everyone was somewhat taken aback when they saw Zhong Qingcang suddenly react.

But Zhong Qingcang ignored all that and only ordered Lin Cangyu and the others: "He wants to use words to bewitch people. We must not be controlled by him. Join forces and kill him immediately!"

His words were decisive, without hesitation, and even somewhat urgent.

This is understandable. During their last meeting in the Wind and Thunder Mountains, the other party revealed the secrets of darkness and destiny, demonstrating terrifying verbal power and even leaving him with some psychological trauma.

Once is enough; Zhong Qingcang didn't want to experience this a second time.

There is no reason to give the other party a second chance. They have already gathered the three generations of destiny, and the other party has come to meet them alone. They have the right time, the right place, and the right people. Why not just take action directly and instead waste words with him?
Zhong Qingcang would not do something that would add so much uncertainty, nor would he have any reason to do so.

Zhong Qingcang gave a stern order, while Lin Cangyu and the others hesitated for a moment, turning their gazes to their teacher.

Only one person acted decisively, and that was Shen Tu Ming, the hope of the present generation. He had a blood feud with Shen He, and upon hearing Zhong Qingcang's words, he immediately activated the Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix.

"Wow!!!"

With a cry, the Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix flapped their wings again, unleashing the power of ice and fire to freeze and refine Shen He's location once more.

"Shen Tu Ming!"

The silver-haired woman's eyes narrowed, and she immediately ordered him, "Stop!"

However, Shen Tu Ming paid no heed, his eyes flashing with a mixture of ice and fire, his killing intent and hatred fiercely intertwined, clearly indicating that he was determined to fight to the death.

"you……!"

The silver-haired woman paused, then turned to look at Zhong Qingcang and the other Heavenly Emperor Spirits.

However, the head of the Emperor Spirits appeared cold, and the other Emperor Spirits nodded to their disciples, with the chosen ones following suit.

"Realm of Water!"

"A spatial cliff!"

"Guardian of the Earth!"

"..."

The various Destinies joined the battlefield, unleashing a variety of secret techniques and combat skills with the Destiny Beasts. While refining and killing that person, they also sealed off the space, cutting off any possibility of the other party escaping.

Finally, only one person remained motionless.

"Lin Cangyu!"

Zhong Qingcang looked at the man: "What are you still hesitating about?"

"I……"

Lin Cangyu hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up his courage: "I want to hear what he has to say."

"Are you crazy!?"

Zhong Qingcang's eyes narrowed: "The lives of hundreds of millions of people on the entire continent are now in your hands, yet you want to listen to this evil word and let it bewitch your minds?"

"This……"

"Everything must be done with the greater good in mind!"

Lin Cangyu was about to speak when Zhong Qingcang interrupted him, saying, "I will explain any questions you may have later. Hurry up and make your move. Don't forget your identity; you are a Heavenly Fate Spirit Master!"

"..."

Lin Cangyu remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and summoned the Ancient Dragon King to join the battle.

The nine Heavenly Mandates launched a full-scale offensive, surpassing the power of the Emperor Spirit, surrounding Shen He and relentlessly attacking him.

Shen He remained unmoved amidst the chaos, protected by a layer of golden light that manifested as a dragon and tiger, combining divine and martial power to resist the Heavenly Mandate's killing intent.

The power of destiny is no small matter.

However, with the protection of the Dragon and Tiger and the power of the Divine Martial Spirits, Shen He showed no signs of defeat for a time.

This made Zhong Qingcang's expression even colder, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

"He can't hold on for long!"

"His reliance is nothing more than the power of martial arts."

"The Heavenly Mandate Spirit Master's Heavenly Mandate Power is the highest power in this world. His martial arts power is cultivated by man and formed by himself. It is impossible for him to surpass the Heavenly Mandate Power of a world that is the sum of billions of people."

"He dared to come alone, probably because he pushed the Golden-Winged Roc into the sixth rank, thinking that he could come and go freely with the speed of heaven and earth and the ability to travel through space."

"But in order to address this point, the Holy City specifically provided a Void Dragon Egg to the Chapter of Wisdom for cultivation."

"The Void Dragon is the ruler of the void, no less than the Golden-Winged Roc King. After being cultivated into a Heavenly Beast, it possesses the power to restrict the void. Even if it cultivates the Golden-Winged Roc King to the sixth rank and practices that martial art, it will have no chance of escaping!"

"The advantage is on our side, we will win this battle! We will win this battle!"

Zhong Qingcang's thoughts raced as he analyzed the various aspects of the enemy and his own forces, but he couldn't find any certainty. Instead, he felt a strange sense of unease.

It seems... something has been overlooked!
What's missing?!

Just as Zhong Qingcang was filled with doubt and surprise.

"As mentioned before, humans are primates, and their spirit and soul possess incredible power, which is why Spirit Masters exist!"

The voices echoed within the killing formation, so loud that even the Nine Heavenly Mandates could not suppress them, and they were clearly transmitted to everyone's ears.

"you!!!"

Zhong Qingcang's eyes narrowed, his expression a mixture of shock and anger.

But Shen He ignored him completely and continued speaking.

"Destiny comes from the Way of Heaven!"

"What is the Way of Heaven?"

"All people and all spirits, all things and all things, this is the Way of Heaven!"

"All things in this world, including spirit masters and spirit beasts, have their latent consciousnesses condensed together to form a strange, high-level power, which is the origin of the Heavenly Dao."

"Therefore, the Way of Heaven encompasses the Way of Humanity, and it encompasses all things!"

"The so-called power of destiny is to obtain the positive power of the Way of Heaven through the guidance of humanity."

"This can be seen from the birth of the first generation of Heavenly Mandate. The first generation of Heavenly Mandate was born in the 110th year of the Spirit Control Calendar. At that time, the Dark Demon King Beast was born because of the evil thoughts of the world. It ravaged the Spirit Control Continent and destroyed the major kingdoms."

"In the end, only the ancestors of the three kingdoms of earth, air, and water were left. They gathered together to resist the invasion of darkness. These remaining humans, facing the threat of darkness and death, united as one, which caused the power of destiny to condense and create the first Destiny Spirit Masters."

"After that, thousands of years and tens of thousands of years have passed, and the concepts of Destiny Spirit Masters and Dark Demon Beasts have been deeply rooted in people's hearts. This has made it easier for humanity to guide the Way of Heaven, and allowed the Holy City of Spirit Masters to gradually master the methods of cultivating Destiny."

"This method is very simple. All you need is an enemy like the Dark Demon Beast to threaten people and arouse their will to survive. Then, you can launch the Nine Destinies, travel and adventure across the continent, and create corresponding heroic deeds. This will allow you to gradually gather the Destinies."

"A powerful enemy, the threat of death, a sufficient population, heroic deeds, deeply ingrained beliefs and ideologies, and a certain symbolic artifact..."

"This is the method used by the Holy City of Spirit Control to cultivate Destined Spirit Masters!"

To the point, hitting the nail on the head.

Zhong Qingcang's face darkened, and his eyes turned icy cold.

Everything leaves a trace; it's just a matter of whether you're willing to investigate.

The training method for these Fated Spirit Masters is no exception. To put it bluntly, the Holy City of Spirit Masters and the three kingdoms create momentum, using the threat of the Dark Demon King Beast to unite the people of various countries and the Spirit Masters' will to survive, thereby pushing the nine selected individuals to become Fated Spirit Masters.

Humanity guides the way of Heaven, and human effort determines destiny!

The key lies in creating momentum and guiding public opinion.

This is why only the three great kingdoms and the Holy City of Spirit Masters can create Destiny Spirit Masters.

Because only they have enough manpower, resources, prestige, and influence to create such a powerful force, and after thousands of years of development, this concept has been deeply ingrained in people's minds, making them instinctively trust them.

Not to mention they also launched a token and artifact, namely the Nine Chapters of Destiny held by the Destiny Spirit Master. Under their subtle influence, people have formed a deep-rooted understanding that holding the Chapters of Destiny means being a Destiny Spirit Master.

Therefore, they can artificially cultivate and guide the birth of Destiny Spirit Masters.

But so what?
Now that the nine Heavenly Mandates have been established, what good will it do for him to expose them?

What does he want to do?
The unease in his heart grew stronger. Zhong Qingcang made no response, but turned his gaze to Lin Cangyu: "Ignore him, intensify the offensive, and kill him quickly!"

"..."

"kill!"

Seeing his expression and recalling his words, Lin Cangyu remained silent. Only Shen Tu Ming roared and unleashed another secret technique to enhance the power of the Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix.

Even so, it could not break through that thin layer of golden light. The yin and yang energies of dragon and tiger intertwined, forming a powerful defensive move of form, intention, and divine martial arts, supported by the Myriad Spirit Armament and the Three-Turn Golden Core.

High-dimensional martial arts!

The power of professionalism!

Although the Nine Heavenly Mandates are powerful, they will find it difficult to break through this barrier in a short time.

Within the killing formation, Shen He did not rush to act, calmly watching Zhong Qingcang and the three generations of destiny outside the formation: "In order to cultivate this new destiny to deal with me, you have gone to great lengths over the years."

"First, you need an enemy, an enemy comparable to the Dark Lord Beast, so that you can create enough threat and arouse people's will to survive."

"So, they joined forces to create momentum, spread the terror of the Martial Kingdom, and even portrayed me as the new Dark Demon King."

"But that's not enough. The Wu Kingdom has developed too rapidly, especially in terms of population, which has already reached a considerable size."

"In order to make up for this disadvantage, you have been trying your best to increase the population in recent years. You have gone so far as to restrict the nobility, reduce taxes, encourage childbirth, and even free slaves. You have tried every means to increase the population at the cost of various interests."

"Thus, with the added support and guidance of the three kingdoms and the Holy City of Spirit Control, these nine destiny powers were able to be born."

Shen He looked at Zhong Qingcang and the others: "Am I right?"

Zhong Qingcang did not respond, but only stared at him coldly: "Spreading rumors and misleading the public, do you think that by turning black into white, you can change your outcome?"

After saying that, he turned to Lin Cangyu and the others and said, "Don't believe him. He wants to influence your hearts and weaken the power of destiny!"

"This……"

Lin Cangyu and the others looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Shen He paid no attention to them, only staring at Zhong Qingcang and the others: "I want to ask you a question: if I die and the Wu Kingdom ceases to exist, will you still maintain all of this, and will you still restrain yourself and your families from being so greedy and insatiable, and from exploiting the world so cruelly?"

"..."

"Nonsense and deception!"

Zhong Qingcang's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. He just looked at Lin Cangyu and the others and said, "Kill him quickly! Kill him quickly!"

"No, you won't!"

However, before the nine people could react, Shen He spoke up: "People like you will never change. Even if you give in temporarily under the threat of death, you will return to your old ways after the crisis is over. That's why there is such a cycle again and again."

"You...!" Zhong Qingcang was shocked and furious. Just as he was about to retort, the spirit ring on his wrist suddenly trembled, and a spiritual message was transmitted.

Not only him, but all the others, all seventeen Heavenly Mandate Emperor Spirits, received the same message from the Primordial Spirit.

immediately……

"you!!!"

Upon seeing the message, Zhong Qingcang abruptly looked up, staring at Shen He with a mixture of shock and anger: "You dare to scheme against us!?"

Shen He smiled and turned to look outside: "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!"

……

At the same time, across the entire Spirit Continent, in every country, region, city, town, and even village.

"Buzz!"

A strange sound rang out, followed by a burst of light and shadow that shot into the sky, forming a large screen for projection.

What is being shown?

It was back then...

“I know you are angry. What happened back then was indeed a huge mistake by the Holy City. I, as your teacher, also failed in my duty. Before coming here, I had already brought all those who made things difficult for you back then to justice.”

"Over the years I've traveled overseas, and finally I've found a spirit beast of the same species as the Ancient Dragon King. I believe you can definitely help it grow into a second Ancient Dragon King..."

"You don't want to talk?"

"Then I'll speak!"

"About ten thousand years ago, or even further back in time, a power called 'Elemental Spirit' was born in this world."

“The primordial spirit exists between heaven and earth and can be absorbed by all things in heaven and earth. Therefore, gradually, things in this world began to become different from others.”

"Therefore, the profession of Spirit Master naturally emerged, and humans, with the power of Spirit Masters, became the most powerful race on the continent..."

"Humans created the darkness, the Dark Demon Beast that is extremely hostile to life, insane, violent and uncontrollable, and the Dark Beast Tide that it infected and brought about."

"But where there is light, there is darkness; where there is black, there is white. Humanity's darkness created the Dark Lord Beast, but humanity's light also created light."

"The Nine Mandates: Courage, Friendship, Wisdom, Innocence, Kindness, Hope, Light, Justice, and Protection..."

"What are the criteria for selecting the Heavenly Mandate of Heaven by the Holy City of Spirit Control and the three great kingdoms? Why are most of the nine Heavenly Mandates of Heaven from noble birth, with only a few from commoner birth, but there must be one Heavenly Mandate Spirit Master from a commoner birth?"

"It's simple, because it's necessary!"

"The reason for choosing the chosen Spirit Masters who came from the royal families and noble families of the Three Kingdoms was to maintain the rule, but the common people could not be completely ignored."

"Therefore, there must be a Destiny Spirit Master who comes from a commoner background, and this Destiny Spirit Master who comes from a commoner background will gather a lot of popular support, thus becoming the strongest Destiny Spirit Master in history, just like you—Zhong Qingcang!"

"Why didn't you teach Li Taiyi any advanced secret techniques as his teacher?"

"Activating the power of destiny is one reason, but more importantly, you sensed its loss of control!"

"This hero, born of commoner origin, posed a threat to you, but at that time you could no longer find a replacement, so you could only use other methods to weaken his power as much as possible without affecting destiny..."

"You, Zhong Qingcang—have betrayed your own origins!"

The scene from years ago was reenacted, projected onto a large screen and resounding throughout the entire continent.

Such images can be found in the three kingdoms, in various towns, and even in various kingdoms.

"what happened?"

"Elemental Spirit Formation?"
"who is it!?"

A Sovereign-level Spirit Master flew out, looking at the image projected on the screen in the void. He was filled with shock and anger, and shouted sharply, "Find the source of the formation immediately!"

"Yes!!!"

The remaining Spirit Guards began to move, trying to investigate the source of the spirit array and shut down the influence of the curtain, but they either couldn't find it or saw the spiritual light rush out and transform into king-like spirit beasts.

"Earth King?"

"Wind and Thunder Divine Eagle?"

"They are from the Wu Kingdom!"

Seeing the appearance of one king-level spirit beast after another, the king-level spirit masters who remained behind were extremely shocked and enraged, and immediately led their troops forward to fight them.

"hold head high!!!"

But those spirit beasts of the Martial Kingdom were no ordinary creatures. One after another, king-level spirit beasts unleashed their battle skills and even martial arts techniques, standing together with the spirit masters who remained behind to protect the grand image from being destroyed.

Such scenes are not limited to one place, but are happening in thousands of places throughout the Yuanling Continent.

Because the Emperor-level Spirit Masters of the three kingdoms have been transferred to the front lines, and the Wu Kingdom is surrounded by three sides, the forces left behind are insufficient to kill these sudden appearances of the Monarch Spirit Beasts, let alone destroy the grand image.

The conversation at Fenglei Mountain back then, the negotiation between one person and two generations of destiny, and the origins of the Dark Demon King Beast and the Destiny Spirit Master have all been revealed to the world, making the secret no longer a secret.

This was true of the three great kingdoms, and even more so of the Wu Kingdom. From the capital to the towns, from the towns to the villages, and even on the front lines surrounded by three sides, this grand image could be seen in every military camp.

And it has only gotten worse over time, not just back then, but continuing into the present day...

"But before that, I would like to discuss some principles with you."

"Discussing the Dao?"

"What path are we discussing?"

"The Way of Heaven, the Way of Humanity, the Way of Heaven and Humanity!"

"A powerful enemy, the threat of death, a sufficient population, heroic deeds, deeply ingrained beliefs and ideologies, and a certain symbolic artifact... This is how the Holy City of Spirit Masters cultivates Destined Spirit Masters!"

"I want to ask you a question: if I die and the Wu Kingdom ceases to exist, will you still maintain all of this? Will you still restrain yourselves and your families from being so greedy and insatiable, from exploiting the world so cruelly?"

"No, you won't!"

"People like you will never change. Even if you temporarily yield under the threat of death, you will revert to your old ways once the crisis is over. That's why this cycle repeats itself again and again..."

Such images were shown throughout the continent, and even within the territory of the Wu Kingdom.

Inside the camp, thousands of soldiers sat in rows, all of them prepared spectators, and at this moment, their emotions were running high.

"teacher!"

Chen Luojun's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the warriors of the Wu Kingdom: "Did you hear that? Did you see that? We have no choice. The Wu Kingdom has no choice. Those people will not change. If our teacher dies and the Wu Kingdom perishes, then everything we have will be gone and taken away by those people again!"

"You are the most elite warriors of the Wu Kingdom, veterans who followed your teacher all the way from Shaluo Valley. You should know what the world was like back then, and what those nobles were like!"

"Do you still want to be their slaves? Do you still want to be exploited by them, to be bullied and oppressed, to have your wives and daughters humiliated, and to have your property robbed?"

"Right now, our teacher is facing that so-called destiny alone in the enemy camp. We cannot let him fight alone, for our sake, for the sake of the Wu Kingdom, and sacrifice himself!"

"Attack! Attack! For our teacher, for the Wu Kingdom, and even more so for ourselves and those we must protect—Attack!!!"

These words added fuel to the fire, and the entire camp was in an uproar. Chen Luojun led his troops out and launched an attack on the three-way encirclement and containment of the Three Kingdoms' army.

"kill!!!"

Instantly, the sounds of battle filled the air, and morale soared like fire.

Within the Wu Kingdom, the atmosphere was electric. Whether in towns or villages, everyone gathered in front of the grand screen, watching Shen He within the Nine Heavenly Mandate Killing Formations, and involuntarily clenched their fists.

"Teacher, this..."

Looking back at the battlefield, amidst the killing formation, Lin Cangyu halted his attack, staring at Zhong Qingcang with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

"He's acting! He's acting!"

Zhong Qingcang also woke up with a start and immediately turned to look at Lin Cangyu: "Kill him quickly, kill him quickly!"

His words were a mixture of shock, anger, and regret.

He understood, he finally understood what he had missed!
Shen He's style of doing things was overlooked!

Since Li Taiyi became Li Qingshan, everything he has done has been driven by a strong sense of purpose.

Just like the battle with Dongfang Bai at Fenglei Mountain, his actions, from building momentum before the battle to staying behind afterward, were all to demonstrate his strength, create deterrence, and at the same time show his own changes, to lull all sides into a false sense of security, thus giving the Wu Kingdom time to develop.

This applies to Dongfang Bai as well as to them. The negotiation on the Fenglei Mountains back then, and the so-called debate on Taoism that he is going to alone now, are not only to confirm his conjecture about destiny, but also to stage a grand drama for him.

From beginning to end, from the negotiation on Fenglei Mountain fifty years ago to this solo meeting, he has been acting, creating a persona for himself—a persona of overthrowing aristocratic rule, eliminating darkness in the world, and saving the Yuling Continent.

Otherwise, given his personality and style of doing things, he would never waste so much time talking to the enemy.

All of this was his scheme, his rehearsal, with the aim of destroying the destiny they had cultivated, or even... usurping it.

"That's right, don't believe him!"

Not only Zhong Qingcang, but Shen Tu Ming in the battlefield also woke up and said to the shaken Lin Cangyu in a string of words: "This is all his disguise. He has been doing this for himself from beginning to end. The fact that my Shen Tu family was slaughtered by him is proof of this. Cangyu, don't be fooled by him!"

"Not bad!"

Zhong Qingcang exclaimed in shock and anger, "He has already sent spirit beasts to attack the three kingdoms and the Holy City of Spirit Control, spreading the flames of war across the continent. Only by killing him can we quickly end this war and prevent the Dark Demon King Beast from being resurrected. Cangyu, you must consider the bigger picture!"

"I……"

Lin Cangyu hesitated, unsure of what to choose.

"Heavenly Mandate Battle Technique!"

Just then, on the back of the Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix, Shen Tu Ming, with bloodshot eyes, raised something.

It was a badge, a shining badge brimming with powerful energy!
A chapter of hope!

A divine artifact of destiny!

The Nine Chapters of Destiny, launched by the Holy City of Spirit Control, are symbols of the Spirit Control Masters of each generation. After sealing the Dark Demon King Beast and dissipating the power of destiny, they are returned to the Holy City and passed on to the next generation of Spirit Control Masters of Destiny.

Generation after generation, these nine chapters of destiny have become veritable divine artifacts, carrying a portion of the power of destiny. Destiny Spirit Masters can activate them to unleash the most powerful destiny battle techniques.

However, that would consume a large amount of the power of destiny, and even cause destiny to dissipate, so it can only be used to seal the Dark Demon King Beast.

This time was no exception. Although Zhong Qingcang had trained them to deal with Li Taiyi, he was also afraid that once the Mandate of Heaven dissipated and darkness returned, no one would be able to defeat them. Therefore, he warned them that they must not use the Mandate of Heaven combat technique until the very last moment.

But now... it's the final moment!
Shen Tu Ming had no time to spare. Holding the Chapter of Hope, he unleashed the power of destiny, determined to utterly destroy his enemy.

but……

"boom!!!"

With a soft bang, it exploded.

Shen Tu Ming's pupils contracted, and he looked up with difficulty. He saw that the badge of hope, a divine artifact passed down for thousands of years, in his raised hand had a shocking crack.

At the same time, within the Heavenly Fate Killing Array, an aura suddenly surged, increased dramatically, and surged wildly...

(End of this chapter)