The Heavens: From Film and Mythology to Conquering Myriad Realms

The next morning.

Lu Yao led the four women, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, along with the innate masters he had recruited, to Dali.

As Grandmaster Lu Yao's reputation spread, many experts came to join him. For this trip to Dali, Lu Yao brought along experts at the Innate Realm.

As a grandmaster, Lu Yao's influence is still very strong. With his superior insight, even a few casual pointers from Lu Yao are enough for an ordinary innate master to comprehend for a long time.

This is also why many masters with innate abilities come to seek refuge here.

Under Lu Yao's tutelage, the four women, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, all reached the Innate Realm, with Mei Jian, the strongest among them, even reaching the mid-Innate Realm.

However, Lu Yao's side still doesn't have any late-stage Innate Realm experts; most of them are at the early stage of Innate Realm, and there are only two at the middle stage of Innate Realm.

Lu Yao and his group of more than a dozen people, all of whom were at least at the early stage of the Innate Realm, moved very quickly and entered Dali territory in just a few days.

......

Just as Lu Yao and his group were heading to the Dali Palace, Zhong Li and Eunuch Wei also arrived at the Dali Palace with a group of experts from the Song Dynasty.

"Lord Zhong, Eunuch Wei, with you here, I can finally put my mind at ease."

Duan Zhengyan finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhong Li and the others.

Although they couldn't invite a Grandmaster, the lineup of two late-stage Innate Realm masters and several mid-stage Innate Realm masters was still quite powerful.

Duan Zhengyan had never seen a Grandmaster make a move, and believed that these forces were sufficient to resist the Free and Unfettered Sect.

"King of Dali, don't be too happy yet. Grandmasters are not so easy to deal with."

Zhong Li knew perfectly well that they had no chance of winning against a Grandmaster. They could only hope to achieve a draw to prevent Dali from being destroyed too quickly.

Zhao Xu has personally gone to Shaolin Temple, intending to invite the Sweeper Monk to come out of the mountain; their mission is simply to buy time.

"Then I'll leave it to you all."

Duan Zhengyan was also unsure after hearing Zhongli's words.

There was once a Grandmaster in Dali, but unfortunately Duan Zhengyan never met him and was unaware of the Grandmaster's power.

Soon, Zhongli began to set up defenses in the Dali Palace, waiting for Lu Yao's arrival.

A few days later.

"Where is Duan Zhengyan? Master Lu of the Free and Unfettered Sect has arrived! Why aren't you coming out to greet him?"

With a loud shout, several innate masters rushed into the Dali Imperial Palace.

"There are assassins!"

When the palace guards saw that someone was forcibly breaking into the palace, they all drew their long swords and attacked Lu Yao and his group.

Lu Yao didn't need to lift a finger to deal with these small fry. A master of innate cultivation instantly drew his sword, and within three breaths, several palace guards were dead.

"Greetings, Master Lu. May I ask what brings you here?"

Upon receiving the news, Duan Zhengyan quickly arrived at Lu Yao's side with Zhong Li and others.

Lu Yao glanced at Duan Zhengyan indifferently, then looked at Zhongli and Eunuch Wei a few times.

"The Western Xia has already submitted to my Xiaoyao Sect. Now, I, Lu, ask you a question: are you willing to submit?"

If Duan Zhengyan is pragmatic, Lu Yao wouldn't mind avoiding some trouble and preserving the Duan family's status in Dali.

"Master Lu is joking. How could a nation be destroyed in my hands?"

Duan Zhengyan spoke with a gloomy but firm expression.

"Oh? You really won't learn your lesson until you see the coffin, huh? You think two late-stage Innate Realm cultivators can stop me?"

Lu Yao chuckled and looked at Duan Zhengyan with interest.

"I am Zhongli from the Six Doors. I have met Master Lu. His Majesty intends to invite Master Lu to serve as the Grand Preceptor of the Great Song Dynasty. I wonder what Master Lu's opinion is?"

Zhong Li stepped forward and invited Lu Yao with a serious expression.

"The Six Doors? You're from the Song Dynasty?"

Lu Yao was taken aback. He hadn't expected that the Song Dynasty would actually send people to aid Dali. He had thought that these people in front of him were the backbone of Dali.

"Exactly."

Zhongli nodded, acknowledging his identity.

"Forget about the Imperial Advisor, is the Great Song Dynasty going to stand against me?"

Lu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly.

As for the Song Dynasty, Lu Yao planned to deal with Dali before taking action against it.

"Master Lu is mistaken. The Great Song Dynasty is the suzerain state of Dali, so it is only natural that it would lend a helping hand."

Zhongli cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Yao, his expression neither humble nor arrogant.

Behind him, Eunuch Wei stepped forward, his attitude very clear.

Eunuch Wei had already received Zhao Xu's instructions and was to follow Zhongli's command in everything.

"Hehehe, if you want to lend a hand, you'll have to see if you have the ability."

Lu Yao smiled and looked at Zhongli and Eunuch Wei with great interest, thinking that these two were probably the only experts sent by the Song Dynasty.

Zhongli and Eunuch Wei exchanged a glance, knowing that they had no choice but to fight today.

"Please enlighten me, Master Lu!"

Zhongli let out a soft shout, his figure suddenly leaping up, drawing his precious sword and attacking Lu Yao.

Wei Gonggong moved like a ghost, leaping close to Lu Yao and stirring up gusts of eerie wind.

"Bone-Melting Palm!"

Wei Gonggong let out a sharp voice, his body surging with pale blue true energy, which formed a cold palm strike towards Lu Yao.

Zhongli, on the other hand, unleashed a sword technique, his sword energy overflowing and his power extraordinary.

Both of them went all out from the start, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

After all, Lu Yao was a whole realm higher than them, making it almost impossible for them to defeat him.

They only wanted to achieve a draw with Lu Yao, so that Lu Yao would have something to think twice before acting.

"His martial arts skills are decent, but that's all."

Lu Yao shook his head. The late-stage Innate Realm was no match for him; these two had simply overestimated themselves.

In an instant, several sword energies condensed around Lu Yao, transforming into streaks of light that shot towards the two.

"So fast!"

Zhongli's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly unleashed his true energy to defend himself, but unfortunately, he was still sent flying by a sword and fell to the ground severely injured.

Wei Gonggong fared no better; his concentrated palm strike was instantly shattered, and he was struck head-on by Lu Yao's sword.

"Is this the Grand Master?"

Duan Zhengyan was dumbfounded to see that Zhongli and Eunuch Wei, both at the late stage of the Innate Realm, couldn't even withstand a single move from Lu Yao.

“Is the gap so big?”

Zhongli, lying on the ground, stared in disbelief at Lu Yao, who hadn't moved an inch. He hadn't expected the difference between a Grandmaster and a late-stage Innate Realm expert to be so vast.

The two are only a step apart, but their strengths seem worlds apart and cannot be compared at all.

"Hmph! The power of a Grandmaster is beyond your comprehension."

A mid-stage Innate Realm expert in front of Lu Yao snorted coldly and looked indifferently at the heavily injured Zhong Li and Eunuch Wei.

Lu Yao naturally wouldn't let the two late-stage Innate Realm experts go, and two streams of true energy instantly enveloped Zhongli and Eunuch Wei.

"This is the Northern Darkness Divine Art of the Free and Unfettered Sect! Master Lu, spare my life!"

Feeling his internal energy rapidly draining away, Zhongli's expression changed drastically.

"Master Lu, please show mercy! Dali is willing to submit to the Free and Unfettered Sect and obey Master Lu's orders!"

Upon seeing the miserable state of Zhongli and Eunuch Wei, Duan Zhengyan quickly spoke up to stop them.

After all, the two of them came to help him. If they really died here, Duan Zhengyan would have no way to explain it to Zhao Xu.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao instantly withdrew the true energy that had been binding the two of them.

However, both of them had fallen from the late stage of the Innate Realm to the level of a first-class master, and their strength was reduced to less than one-tenth of what it used to be.