In the 17,322nd year of the Fusang Calendar, Li Chang’an turned two thousand. He had completely cast off his old body, forging a brand new one for himself on the original foundation.
By a conservative estimate, the new body he gained after Molting was about thirty percent stronger in every aspect than his old one. This was not an increase to be underestimated, as the resulting boost in combat power was tremendous.
A few months after Li Chang’an returned to the Temple, the Celestial Realm swiftly responded to his arrival.
Dozens of beings at the Incense Fire True God Realm were dispatched to eliminate Li Chang’an directly. However, the Godslayer Alliance hadn’t survived for so many years by being completely defenseless.
Many humans who cultivated the Martial Dao intercepted most of the Divine Spirits trying to storm the Fusang Tribe, and only a few made it to the outskirts of the Temple.
Without a doubt, to Li Chang’an, this group was nothing but easy pickings.
After all, Li Chang’an had already broken through to the realm of Grandmaster in the Martial Dao and had just completed his Molting in the Incense and Candle Divine Dao.
In terms of personal combat strength, the current Li Chang’an could likely be compared to a True God—or perhaps even a cut above.
A large number of these Incense Fire True Gods might have caused Li Chang’an some trouble. However, some of the Incense True Gods were intercepted and scattered along the way. The number that actually reached Fusang was less than ten, so naturally, they were no match for Li Chang’an at his peak.
Of the eight Incense Fire True Gods, Li Chang’an burned five to death with his Soul Fire. He beat the remaining three into piles of flesh with his bare, incomparably hard fists, finishing them off with his Bone and Flesh Fire as well.
When news of the battle’s outcome spread, it shocked the entire Three Rivers Basin. Word even reached the Central Plains of the brutal slaughter of the Celestial Realm’s Immortal Gods.
Decades ago, the Human Race had produced a Valkyrie.
In her very first battle, Man Yu had slain an Incense Fire True God from within an army of ten thousand, a feat that made her name shake the world. She gave the once-despairing Human Race a new glimmer of hope, inspiring countless successors to walk the path of defiance against the Celestial Realm.
After all, Man Yu’s achievements proved not only that the Martial Dao, when cultivated to its apex, was no weaker than the Divine Spirits of the Celestial Realm, but also that those Divine Spirits could die and feel fear. They were not the untouchable, otherworldly beings of legend.
Everyone had thought Man Yu’s display of power was stunning enough, but now, the actions of Li Chang’an, the so-called ’Ancestor of Martial Arts,’ were even more terrifying.
So many Incense Fire True Gods, all slaughtered like chickens... ’No wonder he’s the Valkyrie Man Yu’s master. A cultivation of that level is truly heaven-shaking.’
At the same time, a bold thought surfaced in everyone’s mind: ’Could humans who cultivate the Martial Dao achieve such feats as well?’
’He can kill the Immortals of the Celestial Realm with ease. Does this mean the Godslayer Alliance, which was once on the back foot, has completely turned the tables and is now gaining the upper hand?’
As these thoughts raced through their minds, the hearts of every member of the Human Race who heard the news began to stir. This was especially true in the cities still enslaved by the Immortal Realm, where public sentiment grew restless. Everyone hoped that Li Chang’an would go even further, bolstering what little courage they had left.
...
While the outside world buzzed with discussion, marveling at the formidable Master of Martial Arts who seemed powerful enough to reverse the Celestial Spirits themselves, Li Chang’an was within the Fusang Tribe, beginning to teach the Martial Dao on a massive scale.
At the same time, he began screening the entire Human Alliance for young, talented geniuses in the Martial Dao. He formed them into a ’Celestial Realm Conquest Force’ and gave them special, private instruction on matters related to the Martial Dao.
Li Chang’an hadn’t done this in the past because his own strength had been insufficient. He also hadn’t completely dropped all pretenses with the Celestial Realm; in fact, they hadn’t even known he existed.
Back then, Li Chang’an had not wanted to be too conspicuous, so he could only secretly instruct Man Yu and the Divine Shadow Guard.
But now, everything was different. His relationship with the Celestial Realm had become a feud to the death, and the Divine Spirits of the Celestial Realm knew all about him.
This was no time to keep a low profile. He had to build up his strength as quickly as possible to face the crises that could emerge at any moment.
The Human Race had only just begun to cultivate the Martial Dao; its entire history spanned less than a few centuries. Consequently, there was a severe lack of teachers with sufficient cultivation and experience.
Under these conditions, the vast majority of Martial Artists relied on their own intuition for enlightenment after getting started. Only on rare occasions could they receive a bit of guidance from elders who had also practiced the Martial Dao.
Now, with the unreserved guidance and tutelage of Li Chang’an, a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, the cultivation of many people within the Godslayer Alliance progressed by leaps and bounds.
As for the Celestial Realm Conquest Force, they were already the sharpest blades among the Human Race—the ones with the best cultivation talent and the greatest strength. After receiving special instruction from Li Chang’an, their power grew at a rate far exceeding that of ordinary Martial Artists. Nearly every year or two, one of them would break through to a new major realm.
Meanwhile, Li Chang’an felt he was beginning to see through many of the Celestial Realm’s baffling actions.
’Something must have gone wrong within the once-incomparably-powerful ranks of the Celestial Realm’s Immortal Gods.’
’This problem has directly caused a severe decline in the Celestial Realm’s current strength. It’s gotten so bad that even though they know more and more people in the Mortal Realm are abandoning the Incense and Candle Divine Dao to cultivate the Martial Dao, they are powerless to completely suppress it. All they can do, day in and day out, is resort to bluffing.’